A  SOCIAL  HIGHWAYMAN 

ELIZABETH  PH1PPS  TRAIN 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


J  * 

^       5 ' 


A  SOCIAL 
HIGHWAYMAN 


BY 


Elizabeth  Phipps  Train 

AUTHOR  OF 

"THE  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 
A  PROFESSIONAL  BEAUTY." 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 
1896 


COPYRIGHT,  1895, 

BY 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY. 


PRINTED  BY  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY,  PHILADELPHIA,  U.S.A. 


PS 
308? 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"  It  was  then  that  I  met  with  one  of  the  few  un 
fortunate  accidents  which  have  marred  my 
reputation  for  good  service"  .  .  Frontispiece. 

"  There  is-er  a  fastening  here"      39 

"  Quick,  sir,"  I  said  ;  "  you  must  get  out  of  this ; 

you  must,  indeed" 130 

"  Down  upon  his  own  head  came  crashing  the 

heavy  marble  bust"      194 


A   SOCIAL 
HIGHWAYMAN 


CHAPTER    I 

ear's  imprisonment  with  hard  labor. 
The  prisoner  may  stand  down." 

The  sentence  was  lighter  than  I  expected. 
The  jury  had  acquired  an  impression  that  I 
was  a  bit  wanting  in  the  upper  story. 

As  I  left  the  court-room  under  guard,  my 
eyes  met  those  of  a  man  sitting  in  the  jury- 
box,  a  man  who  was  a  notable  exception  to  the 
eleven  typical  specimens  of  the  great  unwashed 
and  unpurified  element  of  the  American  me 
tropolis,  among  whom  he  was  set  as  a  jewel 
among  coarse  pebbles. 

He  was  a  dude  :  of  that  there  could  be  no 
doubt.  From  the  monocle  in  his  right  eye  to 
the  tip  of  his  varnished  boot,  everything  about 
3 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

him  cried  the  fact  aloud.  A  slender,  slightly- 
put-together  man,  with  a  fair  and  delicately 
featured  face, — an  almost  womanish  cast  of 
countenance,  in  fact.  Dressed  in  the  very 
height  of  the  fashion,  every  detail  of  linen, 
cloth,  and  cut  being  of  the  finest  description 
and  latest  style,  he  had  edged  away  as  far  as 
possible  from  his  next  neighbor,  a  dirty,  greasy, 
oily-haired  German,  and  looked  utterly  and 
insufferably  bored  and  disgusted.  At  the  mo 
ment  when  I  chanced  to  look  at  him  he  had 
winked  the  single  eye-glass  out  of  its  position, 
and,  with  an  expression  of  mingled  relief  and 
disdain  on  his  face,  was  rising  from  his  seat, 
evidently  bent  upon  escaping  from  the  amazing 
position  into  which  Fortune  had  betrayed  him. 

As,  personally  conducted  by  an  officer  of  the 
law,  I  was  passing  the  jurors'  room  on  my  way 
to  that  safe  harborage  that  the  government  pro 
vides  for  its  involuntary  wards,  a  languid  shout 
arrested  the  progress  of  my  escort.  Naturally 
I  paused  also. 

"  Say-er,  officer,  one  moment.  I-er  want 
to  speak  to  your  prisoner.  I-er  have  permis 
sion  from  the  court." 

Moved  by  curiosity,  I  turned  around  and 
glanced  at  the  person  accosting  us  :  it  was  none 
other  than  the  dude.  He  came  up  and  motioned 
to  the  officer. 

"Er-just  step  aside  a  moment,  will  you?" 
4 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

he  said,  with  a  slow  drawl,  which  yet  had 
something  imperative  in  it.  Then,  as  the  man 
obeyed,  he  turned  and  stood  for  a  moment 
gazing  at  me  through  two  of  the  bluest  eyes  I 
have  ever  seen  in  a  human  face. 

' '  I-er — I  say,  my  man,  how  was  it,  guilty  or 
not  guilty  ?' '  he  asked,  presently. 

I  have  wondered  a  thousand  times  since  why 
I  answered  right  off  sharp  and  quick,  "Guilty, 
sir."  Such  truthfulness  isn't  a  weakness  with 
me  generally. 

' '  I-er  thought  so, ' '  he  drawled,  with  his  eyes 
bent  on  the  ground.  Then,  suddenly  lifting 
his  head,  ' '  What  are  you  going  to  do  when 
you-er — when  you-er — when  the  year's  up, 
you  know  ?' ' 

I  told  him  that  I  had  not  looked  so  far  ahead 
as  that. 

' '  No-er,  I  suppose  not, ' '  he  replied.  ' '  Well- 
er,  I  only  wanted  to  say  that— er — that  you  might 
look  me  up  when  you-er — when  your  time  is 
again  your  own,  say." 

I  suppose  I  looked  surprised,  for  I  certainly 
felt  so,  wondering  what  a  dude  could  want  of 
a  jail-bird.  He  evidently  remarked  my  expres 
sion,  for  he  continued,  with  a  flush  like  a  girl's 
blush  on  his  fair  skin, — 

"  I-er — I  was  wondering,  while  I  sat  in  that 
infernal  trap  in  there,  what-er — what  a  fellow 

could  do  when  he  got  out  of — out  of ' '  He 

5 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

hesitated,  either  because  he  was  too  considerate 
to  wound  my  feelings  by  using  the  bald  word 
jail,  or  because  his  own  susceptibilities  were 
too  delicate  to  handle  it, 

"Out  of  quod,  you  mean,  sir?"  I  said. 

He  began  to  play  with  his  eye-glass  ner 
vously. 

"  Er-exactly,"  he  answered.  "Perhaps  I 
could  do  something  for  you,  you  know.  It-er 
— it  seems  to  me  such-er  devilish  hard  lines-er, 
don't  you  know  ?  My  name  is  Jaffrey,  Cour- 
tice  Jaffrey.  If  you  care  to  call  at  my  address 
when-er  you  get  out,  I-er  might  be  able  to  do 
something  to  help  you." 

I  was  about  to  thank  him  rather  warmly,  for, 
although  I  have  knocked  about  a  good  bit  in  my 
life,  gratuitous  interest  and  offers  of  assistance 
had  never  before  come  within  my  experience  ; 
but  he  headed  me  off  with  a  weary  yawn,  which 
he  raised  a  dog-skin-covered  hand  to  conceal, 
mentioned  his  address,  nodded  to  me  and  then 
to  the  officer,  turned  on  his  heel,  and  saun 
tered  slowly  off. 

A  year  later  I  got  my  liberty,  and  the  first 
use  I  made  of  it  was  to  look  up  my  man.  I 
had  his  name  and  address  pretty  pat,  I  can 
assure  you,  for  I  had  thought  a  good  deal  about 
him  while  working  out  my  time,  and  had  con 
siderable  curiosity  to  see  what  he  was  going  to 
do  for  me.  I  couldn't  help  wondering  if  he 
6 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

would  not  shirk  the  job  when  it  came  to  the 
point. 

It  was  about  noon  on  a  cold  winter's  day 
when  I  presented  myself  at  his  lodgings,  which 
were  in  a  fashionable  part  of  the  city,  located 
in  a  bachelors'  apartment-house  of  the  most 
luxurious  and  comfortable  sort.  The  door  was 
opened  by  Mr.  Jaffrey  himself. 

He  had  apparently  just  tubbed,  for  there  was 
about  him  that  wholesome  and  indescribable 
freshness  and  bloom  that  only  a  recent  and 
wholesale  application  of  soap  and  water  can 
bestow.  He  was  fittingly  costumed  for  his  role 
of  human  lily  of  the  field.  I  rather  wondered 
at  so  exquisite  a  being  waiting  on  his  own  door, 
but  shortly  discovered  the  reason  for  it.  Think 
ing  that  he  would  very  likely  not  remember 
me,  and  holding  my  hat  respectfully  in  my 
hand,  I  was  about  to  introduce  myself,  when 
he  spoke. 

"Oh,  ah,  it  is  you!  Er-let  me  see — er- 
Hanby  the  name  was,  I  think.  Devilish  cold, 
eh?  Walk  in." 

He  gave  a  little  effeminate  shiver,  and  with 
a  newspaper  which  he  held  in  his  hand  mo 
tioned  me  to  pass  in  ahead  of  him,  while  he 
closed  the  door.  We  went  through  a  narrow 
hall-way  lined  with  foils,  weapons,  armor, 
coats  of  mail,  and  trophies  of  the  chase,  effec 
tively  disposed  upon  a  crimson  background, 
7 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

the  rich  coloring  of  which,  together  with  the 
glint  of  steel,  the  glow  of  brass,  and  the  lus 
trous  gleam  of  polished  wood,  was  brought 
vividly  into  prominence  by  the  electric  light 
that,  even  in  the  daytime,  burned  in  antique 
iron  sconces  built  into  the  walls. 

We  passed  into  a  small  but  exquisitely  ap 
pointed  dining-room,  where  upon  a  round 
mahogany  table  stood  the  remains  of  a  break 
fast  which  my  advent  had  apparently  inter 
rupted.  Mr.  Jaffrey  resumed  his  seat  before 
it,  after  motioning  me  to  take  a  chair,  saying, — 

"You  won't  mind  my  finishing,  Hanby  ? 
Now-er — let  me  see — I  promised  to  do  some 
thing  for  you,  didn't  I  ?" 

I  assented,  expressing  my  surprise  that  he 
should  have  remembered  me. 

' '  I  rarely  forget  a  face  or  a  name, ' '  he  said, 
briefly,  then  continued,  ' '  Now-er,  Hanby, 
don't  talk  for  a  minute.  Here-er,  take  this 
paper  and  read  it  while  I  think.  Thinking  is 
such  a  devilish  hard  process,  don't  you  know  ? 
I-er  don't  like  to  be-er  talked  to  while  I  am 
doing  it." 

I  thought  him  a  queer  bird,  but  humored  his 
fancy  by  holding  the  paper  between  us.  Pres 
ently  he  said,  aloud,  but  as  if  talking  to  him 
self,— 

"I-er  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't  try  it." 
Then,  addressing  me  in  a  quick,  business-like 
8 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

tone,  quite  different  from  his  ordinary  drawl, 
he  said, — 

"  Have  you  ever  been  a  valet  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  answered. 

"  Know  your  business  ?" 

"Up  to  the  handle,  sir." 

He  looked  me  square  in  the  face,  and  there 
was  no  sleepiness  now  in  his  blue  eyes  ;  they 
were  sharp,  alert,  and  penetrating. 

"Well,  look  here,"  he  said,  "my  man  has 
just  left  me.  I  need  a  valet,  and  you  need  a 
situation.  I'm  doing  a  risky  thing  in  taking 
you  into  my  service,  but  I  have  taken  a  good 
many  risks  in  my  life,  and  haven't  suffered 
much  from  the  habit.  I'll  give  you  fifty  dol 
lars  a  month  and  keep  you  until — well,  until 
we  decide  to  part.  But,  look  here,  Hanby, 
don't  you  take  me  for  a  fool.  I  don't  ask  any 
thing  about  your  past;  think  I'd  better  not, 
perhaps  ;  but  if  you  want  a  show  for  the  future 
you've  got  it  now.  Only,  don't  try  any  tricks 
with  me." 

And  so  I  became  valet  to  Mr.  Courtice 
Jaffrey.  I  soon  found  that  he  was  quite  a 
celebrity.  He  was  widely  known  in  New  York, 
and  his  reputation  as  a  dude  was  almost 
national.  He  was  a  member  of  all  the  best 
clubs,  and,  notwithstanding  his  many  absurd 
ities  of  dress  and  manner,  he  seemed  to  be 
popular  with  both  men  and  women.  Yet, 
9 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

though  popular  with  all,  he  was  intimate  with 
none,  and  while  he  had  hosts  of  acquaintances 
he  had  no  close  comrades.  This  seemed 
somewhat  strange  to  me,  as  he  had  many 
qualities  calculated  to  attach  people  to  him. 

For  instance,  he  was  generous  to  a  fault  and 
lavish  to  a  degree.  I  supposed  that  he  in 
herited  money,  for  he  was  always  in  funds, 
and  his  hospitality  was  ever  abundant  and 
ready.  His  tastes  were  luxurious,  and  he 
gratified  them  without  stint.  During  my  whole 
term  of  service  with  him  I  never  knew  him  to 
refuse  a  loan,  while  I  could  name  hundreds  of 
cases  which  his  bounty  relieved.  As  far  as 
courtesy  and  good  breeding  are  concerned,  he 
was  the  most  perfect  gentleman  I  have  ever 
known,  and  I  have  been  in  the  employ  of 
some  of  the  best-bred  of  several  nations. 

His  apartments  were  exceedingly  handsome, 
and  were  furnished  and  decorated  in  the  most 
exquisite  taste  and  by  the  best  firms.  He  kept 
a  couple  of  thoroughbred  horses  and  a  variety 
of  traps  at  a  club  stable  near  by,  and  when  he 
required  a  groom  I  officiated  in  that  capacity. 
I  had  had  the  best  training  in  the  requirements 
of  my  position  when  I  was  valet  to  Lord  What- 
you-may-call-him  and  Colonel  Sir  What' s-his- 
name.  (I  am  not  more  explicit,  as  I  left  both 
services  abruptly,  and  as  these  gentlemen,  in 
common  with  all  the  world,  will  doubtless  read 
10 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

this  book,  I  do  not  care  to  give  them  a  clue  to 
my  present  whereabouts.  It  might  be  more 
satisfactory  to  them  than  to  me.) 

It  was  a  good  berth  into  which  I  had  fallen, 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  stick  to  it  for  a 
considerable  period.  My  duties  were  not 
heavy,  and  my  perquisites  were  many.  In 
the  morning  I  had  ample  time,  before  my  mas 
ter  rang,  to  set  the  apartment  in  order,  lay  the 
breakfast-table,  arrange  the  flowers  (of  which 
he  was  tremendously  fond,  a  fresh  and  abun 
dant  supply  being  furnished  every  other  day 
throughout  the  season  by  his  florist),  varnish 
his  boots,  and  draw  his  bath,  into  which  a 
bottle  of  orris-water  was  always  emptied.  The 
sound  of  his  bell  was  my  signal  to  mix  a  pretty 
stiff  cocktail,  which  it  was  his  habit  to  take 
every  morning  as  an  eye-opener.  After  carry 
ing  him  this  I  drew  up  his  blinds,  laid  out  his 
fresh  linen  and  the  clothes  he  designated,  and, 
after  he  had  bathed,  rubbed  him  down  until 
his  flesh  (it  was  as  fair  as  a  woman's)  glowed 
and  shone  like  conch-shell. 

About  noon  he  went  out,  and  I  did  not  see 
him  again  until  I  took  either  his  saddle-horse 
or  one  of  his  traps  for  him  in  the  afternoon. 
He  rarely  dined  at  home  unless  he  was  enter 
taining,  and  was  almost  always  absent  in  the 
evenings  :  so  that  I  had  a  good  deal  of  leisure 
time  on  my  hands. 

ii 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  had  been  a  few  days  in  his  service,  and  he 
had  expressed  himself  well  satisfied  with  my 
manner  of  performing  my  duties,  when,  one 
morning,  as  I  was  laying  out  his  linen,  he  said, — 

"  Oh-er,  Hanby,  we  have  a  dinner  here  to 
night.  Er-there's  a  list  of  the  guests,  all  gen 
tlemen,  on  the  desk  in  the  den,  and  a  rough 
sketch  of  the  menu.  The-er  people  at  the 
hotel  will  fill  in  the  details,  and-er  you'll  see 
about  the  wines,  won't  you,  Hanby  ?" 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  a  busy  time  for  me, 
and  when,  late  in  the  afternoon,  my  master  re 
turned  to  dress,  he  was  loud  in  his  praise  of 
everything  I  had  done.  No  one  can  beat  me 
at  my  own  trade,  and  even  Mr.  Jaffrey'  s  criti 
cal  fastidiousness  found  nothing  to  alter  in  my 
arrangements. 

It  was  to  be  a  small  dinner,  only  four  gentle 
men,  besides  my  master,  with  a  game  of  poker 
to  follow  in  the  den,  but  Mr.  Jaffrey  had  me  get 
him  up  as  carefully,  though  in  a  somewhat  less 
elaborate  fashion,  as  if  the  party  were  to  be 
honored  by  the  presence  of  the  fair  sex. 

The  dinner  passed  off  well,  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  when  I  say  well  it  was  well.  The 
wines  were  of  the  right  temperature,  the  service 
so  noiseless  that  it  might  have  been  performed 
by  invisible  hands,  and  the  cocktails  so  well 
mixed  that  every  gentleman  complimented  me 
in  turn  upon  them. 

12 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

But  a  little  incident  occurred  afterward  at 
the  card-table  which  was  most  unfortunate,  and 
which,  I  thought,  created  some  suspicion  of  me 
not  only  in  my  master's  breast  but  in  the  minds 
also  of  his  guests. 

The  gentlemen  had  seated  themselves  about 
the  table  and  were  paying  for  their  chips,  when 
I  brought  in  the  smoking-tray.  Mr.  Jaffrey  was 
telling  a  story,  evidently  suggested  by  the 
game. 

"And  this-er  fellow,"  he  was  saying,  "  went 
down  to  one  of  those  sea-shore  places  where-er 
you  get  a  fish  dinner  'with  all  the-er  fixin's,' 
as  they  say  in  New  England,  don't  you  know. 
The  girl  took  his  order,  and  then-er  she  said 
to  him,  '  Have  some-er — some  Saratoga  chips, 
sir?'  'Well-er,'  says  he,  '  well-er,  I  don't 
know  the  game,  but-er — but,  yes,  I'll  be  d — d 
if  I  don't  come  in  ;  I'll  take  ten  dollars'  worth 
as  a  starter.'  ' 

It  was  just  at  this  moment  that  a  man  named 
Remsen  drew  out  of  his  pocket  a  big  roll  of 
bills.  There  is  something  fearfully  tempting  to 
the  human  eye  in  such  a  sight.  Dirty  ' '  green 
backs"  may  not  be  beautiful  from  an  aesthetic 
point  of  view,  but  I  know  of  few  things  more 
alluring  to  most  men. 

Mr.  Remsen  drew  out  a  fifty-dollar  bill  and 
laid  it  on  the  table  beside  him  just  as  I  reached 
his  side  to  offer  him  the  cigars.  It  was  then  that 
13 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

\ 

I  met  with  one  of  the  few  unfortunate  accidents 
which  have  marred  my  reputation  for  good 
service.  A  pack  of  cards  was  lying  upon  the 
table  just  beneath  Mr.  Remsen's  elbow,  and  as 
I  held  the  tray  toward  him  my  arm  inadver 
tently  brushed  against  them,  scattering  them 
with  a  thud  all  over  the  floor. 

When  a  pack  of  cards  is  dropped,  everyone 
naturally  stoops  to  pick  them  up.  This  hap 
pened  now,  I,  because  I  stopped  to  place  my 
tray  upon  the  table  and  so  secure  the  use  of 
both  hands,  being  naturally  the  last  to  assist  in 
the  operation.  When,  finally,  they  were  gath 
ered  up  and  the  gentlemen  again  rose  above 
the  surface  of  the  board,  there  was  an  excla 
mation  from  Mr.  Remsen  : 

"  I  thought  I  put  a  bill  on  the  table,  didn't 
I  ?  Or  did  I  give  it  to  you,  Jaffrey  ?' ' 

Mr.  Jaffrey  was  banker.  He  shook  his 
head. 

"No,  you  didn't  give  it  to  me,  old  man. 
Must  have-er  put  it  back  in  your  pocket." 

"  No,  I  saw  him  put  it  there,"  broke  in  an 
other  man.  ' '  Look  under  the  table,  Remmy  ; 
you  must  have  brushed  it  off  with  your  elbow. ' ' 

' '  I  will  look,  sir, ' '  I  said,  respectfully  ;  and 
it  ended  in  everybody's  stooping  again  to 
search. 

But  all  to  no  purpose  :  no  bill  was  there. 
Mr.  Jaffrey  looked  greatly  annoyed,  and  shot  a 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

quick,  suspicious  glance  at  me.  But  I  stood 
firm. 

"This  is-er  most  unfortunate,  Remsen,"  he 
said.  ' '  I-er — I  feel  d — d  awkward  to  have  it 
happen  here.  Wish  you  would  allow  me  to-er 
— to  replace  it,  don't  you  know." 

But  his  guest  was  a  gentleman,  and  to  this 
proposition  of  course  he  would  not  listen,  but, 
with  very  nice  courtesy,  he  at  once  changed 
the  subject,  and  so  relieved  the  awkwardness 
of  the  situation. 

I  suppose  it  was  natural  that  the  suspicions 
of  my  master's  guests  should  fall  upon  his  new 
servant,  but  I  was  sorry  that  Mr.  Jaffrey  him 
self  should  so  soon  have  occasion  to  suspect 
me. 

As  I  was  getting  him  ready  for  bed,  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning,  after  his  guests 
had  gone,  he  turned  suddenly  upon  me. 

"  Where-er — where' s  that  bill,  Hanby  ?" 

I  had  been  finishing  off  the  heel-taps  of  the 
bottles  left  from  dinner,  and  my  feelings  were 
easily  touched.  I  felt  a  sudden  moisture  dim 
my  eyes. 

1 '  Mr.  Jaffrey,  it' s  early  days  to  be  suspecting 
me,  sir,"  I  said.  "  I  know  no  more  than  you 
yourself,  sir,  what  became  of  the  money." 

My  master  finished  rubbing  the  crystal  emol 
lient  into  his  white  hands,  and  yawned  wearily, 

"Of  course  you  are  lying  to  me,  Hanby, 
15 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

but-er — but  a  good  servant  is-er — is  a  luxury 
worth  paying  something  for,  and  though  you 
are  a-er — a  scoundrel,  Hanby,  you-er — you 
are  a  clever  one.  I  shall-er  give  Mr.  Remsen 
a  bill  to-morrow  and-er  tell  him  you  found 
it-er-er  under  the  grate.  But-er,  Hanby,  don't 
let  it  happen  again. ' ' 

I  tried  to  protest  my  innocence,  but  either 
emotion  got  the  better  of  my  utterance  or  a  too 
faithful  discharge  of  the  duty  of  clearing  my 
master's  table  prevented  my  eloquence  from 
being  as  effective  as  I  wished,  for  all  the  result 
I  produced  was  a  sleepy  laugh  from  Mr.  Jaffrey 
and  a  drowsy  "Go-er — go  to  bed,  Hanby. 
You're  drunk,  man  ;  light's  an  owl." 

As  he  was  eating  his  breakfast  a  few  morn 
ings  later,  Mr.  Jaffrey  said  to  me, — 

"Hanby,  I  want  you  to  go  up  to  Seventy- 
First  Street  with  a  note  this-er  morning.  I-er 
am  going  out  of  town,  and  shall  not  be  home 
till-er  late  to-night.  You  will  find  the-er 
address  on  the  envelope,  and-er  wait  for  an 
answer,  which  you  may  leave  on  my  dressing- 
table." 

I  am  always  glad  when  it  is  the  habit  of  my 
employers  to  use  wax  in  sealing  their  corre 
spondence.  It  greatly  simplifies  my  exertions 
in  the  paths  of  knowledge.  To  open  a  cover 
that  has  been  gummed  and  to  re-gum  it  satis 
factorily  requires  considerable  skill  and  great 
16 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

care  :  the  steam  is  apt  to  give  the  paper  a 
blotched  and  bloated  appearance.  But  to 
break  a  seal,  re-heat  the  wax,  and  again  stamp 
it,  is  the  easiest  of  operations.  This  simple 
business,  of  course,  requires  that  the  die  shall 
be  a  bit  of  my  master's  desk-furniture  and  not 
a  personal  ornament. 

As  a  rule,  Mr.  Jaffrey  was  rather  careful 
about  his  correspondence,  posting  his  letters 
himself,  and  destroying  immediately  those  of 
any  consequence  which  he  received.  I  seldom, 
therefore,  had  the  opportunity,  which  on  occa 
sions  may  be  of  untold  value,  of  discovering 
the  contents  of  his  letters.  Here,  however, 
was  a  chance  that  I  determined  not  to  miss. 

I  felt  that  some  matter  of  interest  must  be 
involved  in  my  errand,  else  my  master  would 
not  be  so  anxious  to  have  the  answer  to  his 
note  placed  on  his  dressing-table  where  he 
could  get  it  before  retiring.  He  rarely  showed 
concern  about  his  correspondence,  and  this 
exceptional  indication  of  interest  aroused  my 
curiosity. 

About  twelve  o'clock  he  relieved  me  of  his 
presence,  and  I  at  once  set  to  work.  It  was 
the  matter  of  a  moment  to  break  the  huge 
violet  seal  stamped  with  a  modest  crest  bear 
ing  the  motto  ' '  Fortes  fortuna  jit-vat, ' '  which 
I  suppose  is  Latin,  but  which  was  Greek  to 
me. 

2  17 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

There  were  only  a  few  lines  inside,  but  they 
were  ardent,  and  at  once  answered  a  question 
which  I  had  often  put  to  myself, — whether  my 
master's  heart  had  a  lien  upon  it  or  not.  The 
note  ran  as  follows  : 

"  I  cannot  come  up  to  see  you  as  usual  this 
afternoon,  my  dearest,  as  I  must  go  down  to 
Long  Island  to  look  at  a  horse  I  am  thinking 
of  buying.  I  cannot  rest  to-night,  however, 
unless  I  hear  that  your  cold  is  better.  For 
God' s  sake,  take  care  of  yourself,  or,  if  not  for 
His,  then  for  mine,  for  you  are  the  only  thing 
in  life  that  makes  it  worth  my  living.  My  man 
will  bring  your  answer,  which  I  hope  will  set 
my  mind  at  rest.  I  should  not  leave  without 
seeing  you,  but  that  there  is  an  important  mat 
ter  involved  in  my  going. 

"  Ever  your  loving 

"COURTICE." 

The  envelope  bore  no  name,  but  was  merely 
addressed  to  "Suite  2,  Seventy-First  Street, 
New  York. ' ' 

Here,  then,  abode  my  master's  divinity. 
There  was  one  bit  of  information  gained  ;  it 
might  or  might  not  be  of  service,  but  at  all 
events  it  could  do  me  no  harm  to  have  secured 
it.  I  sealed  up  the  envelope,  re-stamped  it, 
and  set  out  to  take  it  to  its  destination,  wonder- 
18 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

ing  if  I  might,  by  good  luck,  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  woman  to  whom  it  was  written. 

The  apartment  house  to  which  it  was  directed 
was  a  comfortable  but  exceedingly  unpreten 
tious  one,  and  of  course  I  concluded  that  my 
master's  attachment  could  scarcely  be  an  open 
and  legitimate  one,  for  I  felt  that  he  was  too 
ambitious  a  man  to  marry  a  woman  from  such 
modest  circumstances  as  this  home  of  hers 
indicated. 

I  stepped  into  the  elevator  and  told  the  boy 
I  wished  to  go  to  Suite  No.  2. 

"What  kind  of  lady  lives  there  ?"  I  asked, 
thinking  this  a  good  source  to  tap.  "  Married 
or  single  ?' ' 

The  fellow  paused  in  his  whistling  rehearsal 
of  ' '  Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay' '  long  enough  to 
say,  "Two  ladies  lives  there;  don't  know 
whether  they're  married  or  not :  one  ain't, 
anyway,"  and  continued  his  rehearsal. 

"Ah  !  respectability  in  the  shape  of  a  sheep 
dog,"  I  thought.  Aloud  I  said,  "What  is  her 
name  ? — the  one  you  know  to  be  unmarried  ?' ' 

The  elevator  came  to  a  halt  as  he  answered, 
"Jermyn, — Miss  Jermyn.  Door's  round  that 
corner."  And,  stepping  back  into  the  eleva 
tor,  he  slammed  to  the  door  and  shot  down 
again,  concluding  the  chorus  of  the  song  as  he 
disappeared  from  view. 

I  thought  that  I  would  like  to  see  what 
19 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

my  master's  taste  in  women  was  like,  and  so 
asked  the  maid  who  opened  the  door  if  I  might 
see  Miss  Jermyn.  She  said  "yes,"  and  ad 
mitted  me  into  a  small  but  exceedingly  pretty 
parlor,  much  more  dainty  and  luxurious  than 
one  would  have  expected  from  the  outside  of 
the  house.  It  bore  evidences  of  the  same 
good  taste  as  that  which  had  fitted  up  my  mas 
ter's  rooms,  and,  indeed,  there  was  a  similar 
individuality  about  both  apartments  that  showed 
them  to  have  been  furnished  by  the  same 
person. 

It  was  curious,  however,  that  this  room,  ap 
parently  the  parlor  of  a  young  woman,  was 
less — well,  not  less  luxurious,  exactly,  but  less 
fashionably  so,  let  me  say,  than  that  of  Mr. 
Jaffrey.  There  was  here,  as  there,  every  ap 
pointment  of  comfort  and  convenience,  a  little 
less  up  to  date,  as  it  were,  than  the  surround 
ings  of  my  master. 

From  this  indication  of  a  more  careless 
regard  for  fashionable  trifles  and  frivolities,  I 
concluded  that  Mr.  Jaffrey  was  in  the  toils  of  a 
woman  of  a  stronger  and  less  worldly  nature 
than  his  own, — of  one  of  those  somewhat 
severe  and  masculine  characters  which  obtain 
such  powerful"  hold  upon  some  men.  As  I 
stood  waiting,  hat  in  hand,  I  expected  that 
every  moment  would  bring,  sweeping  majesti 
cally  into  the  room,  a  large,  Junoesque,  com- 
20 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

manding  beauty  in  whose  splendid  superiority 
I  should  easily  detect  the  spell  that  bound  my 
master  to  her. 

Imagine,  then,  my  surprise  when  suddenly  I 
heard  a  sound  behind  me,  and,  turning  quickly, 
saw  issuing,  not  from  the  entrance  to  the  room 
I  was  facing,  but  from  a  small  door  partially 
hidden  by  a  portiere,  a  young,  very  slender 
and  unimposing  girl  on  crutches  ! 

She  swung  herself  a  couple  of  paces  into  the 
room  and  paused,  resting  on  her  crutches, 
evidently  awaiting  an  explanation  of  my  busi 
ness  with  her.  I  was  so  amazed  that  for  a 
moment  my  self-possession  deserted  me,  and  I 
stood  staring  at  her,  at  this  delicate,  fragile, 
unprepossessing  cripple  with  whose  life  my 
master's  was  so  evidently  bound  up. 

"You  wished  to  see  me?"  she  asked,  ad 
dressing  me  ;  and  I  noticed  that  she  had  a 
beautiful  voice,  sweet,  musical,  and  plaintive 
without  being  fretful.  It  was  like  a  harmony 
in  a  minor  key.  I  quickly  recovered  myself. 

' '  I  have  a  letter  for  you, ' '  I  said,  handing 
it  to  her, — "from  my  master." 

She  held  out  for  the  letter  a  delicate  white 
hand  which,  I  observed,  was  unadorned  by 
any  ring  whatever. 

"From  your  master?  Oh!"  as  her  eyes 
fell  upon  the  address,  "you  are  Mr.  Jaffrey's 
new  man  !  Is  there  an  answer  ?" 

21 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  told  her  that  I  had  been  directed  to  wait 
for  one,  and  she  bade  me  be  seated  until  it 
should  be  ready.  Then,  with  a  slight,  gracious 
inclination  of  the  head,  she  turned  and  swung 
herself  again  from  the  room. 

I  made  my  eyes  do  me  good  service  while  I 
sat  there,  waiting.  I  believe  that  I  could  have 
described  every  article  in  that  room  with  my 
eyes  shut.  There  were  pictures  of  Mr.  Jaffrey 
everywhere,  on  tables,  mantel,  desk,  brackets, 
and  even  in  pretty  Florentine  frames  on  the 
wall.  He  was  in  every  variety  of  costume, 
and,  I  must  say,  made  a  fairly  effective  picture. 

There,  he  was  in  evening  dress,  with  his 
monocle  stuck  in  his  eye  ;  here,  in  his  long 
fur-lined  coat,  the  broad  rich  collar  of  which 
made  such  an  admirable  setting  for  his  blond 
head.  Again  he  was  in  pink,  as  a  member  of 
the  Meadowbrook  Hunt,  and  again  in  a  Poole 
suit  of  huge  checks,  with  gaiters,  Derby  hat, 
and  cane. 

One  frame  interested  me  beyond  the  others. 
It  was  a  double  one  of  gold,  of  miniature  shape, 
with  true  lovers'  knots  surmounting  the  two 
faces  it  enclosed.  One  of  these  was  my  mas 
ter's,  and  I  liked  it  better  than  any  of  the 
others,  it  was  so  simple,  plain,  and  direct.  A 
very  good  likeness  of  an  exceedingly  good- 
looking  man,  which  would  have  given  a  stran 
ger  no  idea  of  his  dudish  proclivities. 

22 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  other  face  was  that  of  the  girl  with 
whom  I  had  just  been  speaking.  I  studied 
this  last  closely,  seeking  in  vain  a  trace  of  that 
beauty  for  which  I  knew  Mr.  Jaffrey  had  such 
a  keen  appreciation.  There  was  no  trace  of  it 
in  the  sweet,  gentle,  refined  countenance  that 
returned  my  gaze.  There  were  earnestness  and 
depth  in  the  eyes,  which  I  remembered  to  be 
brown,  and  there  was  a  little  expression  of 
wistfulness  about  the  delicate  mouth,  as  if  the 
girl  realized  how  much  she  lost  by  reason  of 
her  infirmity  ;  but  as  for  beauty  ! — Faugh  !  I 
was  disgusted. 

That  a  gentleman  like  my  master,  rich, 
good-looking,  a  tremendous  swell  and  a  thor 
ough-going  man  of  the  world,  should  throw 
himself  away  on  such  a  girl  as  that !  It  made 
me  sick,  and  I  took  a  violent  dislike  to  her 
from  that  moment.  I  had  not  very  long  to 
wait  before  the  reply  was  brought  me,  and  I 
did  not  see  Miss  Jermyn  again,  as  the  note 
was  delivered  to  me  by  the  maid. 

I  was  in  great  good  luck,  for  it  was  gummed 
and  not  sealed.  Otherwise,  being  unable  to 
come  at  her  die,  I  should  not  have  ventured 
to  possess  myself  of  its  contents.  A  little 
steam  aided  me  in  opening  the  envelope  when 
I  reached  home,  and  it  was  thus  easy  for  me 
to  discover  that  which  I  append  : 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Mv  DARLING, — 

' '  The  day  will  seem  a  dreary  one  without  a 
glimpse  of  my  sun  ;  but  whatever  makes  for 
his  welfare  has  so  good  a  justification  in  my 
eyes  that  it  reconciles  me  to  a  deprivation  as 
great  as  that  of  the  temporary  loss  of  my  life' s 
brightness.  My  cold  is  doing  well  ;  indeed, 
it  troubles  me  scarcely  any.  You  are  quite 
too  foolish  about  me,  my  dear.  If  I  am  some 
what  frail  and  not  very  robust  in  appearance, 
I  am  nevertheless  strong  and  wiry,  and  shall 
live  a  long,  long  time  to  weary  your  loving 
care  and  devotion. 

"Ever,  dearest,  devotedly  yours, 

"ALICE  L.  J." 

I  was  so  utterly  disgusted  with  this  epistle, 
as  showing  the  strength  of  my  master's  in 
fatuation  for  this  miserable  Dot-and-carry-one, 
that  I  felt  an  impulse  to  tear  the  love-sick  note 
into  a  thousand  pieces.  But  impulse  is  a  costly 
luxury,  in  which  dependants  cannot  afford  to 
indulge,  and  common  sense  restrained  me. 
Instead,  I  took  great  pains  to  re-gum  it  care 
fully  and  place  it  against  a  silver  atomizer  on 
my  master's  dressing-table,  whence  a  little 
later  I  had  the  supreme  dissatisfaction  of  seeing 
him  hastily  snatch  it  and  eagerly  devour  its 
contents. 

It  struck  me  then  as  never  before  how  wholly 
24 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

incomprehensible  are  the  passions  of  men. 
Who  would  have  dreamed  that  Mr.  Courtice 
Jaffrey,  who  might  have  chosen  from  the  most 
distinguished  of  two  worlds,  would  allow  his 
affections  to  be  ensnared  by  a  miserable  little 
blonde  jade  with  broken  legs  ! 


CHAPTER    II 

TWO  or  three  days  after  my  pilgrimage  up 
to  Seventy-First  Street  my  master  an 
nounced  his  intention  of  giving,  upon  the  fol 
lowing  evening,  an  after-the-opera  supper-party 
to  some  eight  or  ten  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
From  the  minuteness  and  precision  of  his 
orders,  the  care  and  solicitude  which  he  evinced 
as  to  the  smallest  and  most  insignificant  de 
tails,  and  the  recklessness  he  manifested  re 
garding  expenditure,  I  concluded  that  he  was 
going  to  entertain  guests  of  unusual  distinction. 

And  when  I  read  the  names  (I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  notice  of  the  event  he  prepared 
for  the  press)  I  saw  that  I  was  not  mistaken  in 
my  surmise.  Without  exception  they  were  the 
names  of  Personages,  not  of  mere  persons  ; 
and  my  estimate  of  my  master's  social  posi 
tion  went  up  many  pegs  when  I  discovered  his 
ability  to  command  the  society  of  such  nobs. 

The  guest  of  honor  was  an  English  duchess  ; 
that  is,  she  had  been  an  American  Dutchy  (her 
father  had  made  a  vast  fortune  in  export-beer 
26 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

in  the  West)  who  had  developed  through  the 
natural  laws  of  social  evolution  into  a  British 
peeress.  Her  title,  Duchess  of  Clayborough 
(nee  Chiselby),  smote  upon  the  ears  of  two 
nations  like  a  chime  of  golden  bells.  Her 
visiting-cards  with  "  Clayborough  House,  Sus 
sex,"  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner,  \vere,  by 
those  dames  fortunate  enough  to  acquire  them, 
never  withdrawn  from  the  great  receptacles 
wherein,  toward  the  end  of  the  season,  those 
thin  little  white  ghosts  of  names  and  reputa 
tions  accumulate  in  such  multitude.  When 
these  were  emptied  and  a  fresh  start  made, 
these  special  bits  of  pasteboard  were  always 
retained  to  form  the  nucleus  of  a  new  collec 
tion. 

Following  in  her  wake  and  pressing  her  hard 
for  fame  if  not  for  fortune  was  the  Professional 
Beauty,  par  estime,  of  the  year.  Her  reputation 
was,  of  course,  transatlantic  (no  reputation  of 
home-manufacture  is  of  value  in  American  eyes), 
and  the  greater  part  of  her  time  was  spent  in  the 
Happy  Hunting-Grounds  of  London  society,  to 
the  privileges  of  which  she  had  attained  by  rea 
son  of  the  utter  integrity  of  her  physical  perfec 
tion.  She  had  taken  advantage  of  the  inter 
regnum  between  autumn  country-house  visiting 
(that  period  so  prolific  of  results  to  the  matri 
monial  sportsman)  and  the  beginning  of  the 
season,  to  flit  like  a  meteor  through  the  most 
27 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

distinguished  circles  of  her  own  countrymen, 
dazzling  and  fascinating  all  beholders  by  her 
incomparable  charms. 

I  had  seen  her  riding  in  the  Park,  and  even 
I,  who  have  seen  most  of  the  celebrated  beau 
ties  of  my  time,  acknowledge  her  to  be  a  fine 
figure  of  a  woman. 

Then  came  two  of  the  leaders  of  New  York 
society,  Mrs.  I.  Noble-Revere  and  Mrs.  Munyon 
Pyle, — "Money-Pile"  Wall  Street  called  her 
husband, — women  with  magnificent  establish 
ments,  stupendous  fortunes,  immense  social 
power,  and — husbands.  The  latter,  however, 
like  well-trained  servants,  knew  enough  to 
minister  to,  without  obtruding  upon,  the  com 
fort  and  welfare  of  those  who  had  acquired  the 
right  to  command  them.  They  were  social 
nonentities,  though  financial  magnates,  and 
one  never  considered  them. 

The  list  of  the  women  closed  with  the  star 
whose  talent  and  genius  were  to  entertain  them 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening,  Madame 
Genevieve  Mirandu,  the  latest  thing  in  operatic 
stellar  attractions,  also  an  American,  born  in 
the  coal-regions  of  Pennsylvania,  discovered 
by  chance  and  educated  by  a  syndicate  of  rich 
women,  whose  claims  to  her  consideration  and 
gratitude  she  had  dispersed  by  a  contemptuous 
kick  of  her  small  foot  when  she  reached  the 
topmost  rung  on  that  ladder  of  acquirement 
28 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

that  had  been  erected  for  her  through  their 
means.  Report  had  it  that  she  was  a  nightin 
gale  difficult  to  lure,  and  I  wondered  at  my 
master's  success  in  her  direction  more  than  in 
that  of  the  others,  high  even  as  was  their 
degree. 

The  men,  of  whom,  besides  my  master, 
there  were  some  half-dozen,  may  be  more 
easily  dismissed.  Perhaps  first  {place  aitx  re- 
nommes)  was  Carolus  Despard,  the  artist,  con 
cerning  whom,  thanks  to  his  wide-spread  repu 
tation,  it  is  unnecessary  to  go  into  detail.  His 
studio,  the  most  unique  and  gorgeous  apart 
ment  I  have  ever  seen  (I  had  soon  after  an 
opportunity  of  studying  it  at  my  leisure,  as  will 
be  shown  farther  on),  is  the  gate  of  Paradise  to 
the  aspiring  Bohemian. 

Then  there  were  two  distinguished  authors, 
one  a  Frenchman  who  was  making  a  tour  of 
this  country  for  the  frankly  confessed  purpose 
of  publishing  his  views  upon  it,  views  which 
would  be  about  as  discriminating  and  valuable 
as  the  report  of  a  prize-fight  by  a  woman  jour 
nalist,  and  the  other  a  Russian  exile,  versatile, 
accomplished,  and  entertaining,  who  was  work 
ing  a  Nihilistic  vein  of  pure  romance  with  bene 
ficial  effect  upon  a  hitherto  lean  and  hungry 
purse.  He  claimed  to  be  a  count,  and,  as 
Russia  is  a  big  country  and  its  illustrious  waifs 
and  strays  rarely  localize  their  birthplaces,  no 
29 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

one  disputed  his  claim.  But  I  had  seen  him, 
about  six  years  previously,  at  Monte  Carlo  with 
a  croupier's  rake  in  his  hand.  However,  I 
make  it  a  point  to  forget  many  things. 

A  Polish  musician  who  played  like  a  seraph 
and  ate  with  his  knife,  a  world-renowned  travel 
ler  whose  gyrations  about  the  pole  have  gained 
him  wider  celebrity  than  that  of  the  most  skil 
ful  gymnast,  Mr.  Merton  Harley,  a  gentleman 
who  was,  perhaps,  my  master's  most  intimate 
friend,  and  Gordon  Key, — God's  Donkey,  they 
call  him  at  the  clubs, — one  of  the  richest  bach 
elors  in  New  York  and  the  most  celebrated 
man-about-town,  completed  the  number  of 
guests.  You  may  imagine  whether,  with  such 
persons  of  distinction  to  cater  for  and  serve,  I 
was  not  on  my  mettle. 

But  I  was  satisfied  when,  at  eleven  o'clock 
that  night,  I  threw  a  last  glance  about  the 
apartments  and  over  the  table  before  answer 
ing  the  electric  bell  which  announced  the  return 
of  Mr.  Jaffrey  with  his  guests. 

The  rooms  were  always  beautiful,  and  they 
had  been  further  adorned  by  a  lavish  supply 
of  flowers.  Indeed,  so  thickly  scattered  were 
the  blossoms  that  it  almost  seemed  as  if  the 
ceiling  had  opened  and  let  fall  a  copious  floral 
shower.  The  dining-  and  drawing-rooms 
opened  out  of  each  other,  half-drawn  portieres 
of  rare  Persian  rugs  marking  the  distinction 
30 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

between  them  and  making  a  very  beautiful 
and  rich  framework  for  the  exquisite  picture 
of  still-life  that  my  artistic  exertions  had 
created. 

I  do  not  remember  whether  I  have  noted 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Jaffrey'  s  apartment  was  situ 
ated  at  the  very  top  of  the  house.  He  had 
selected  it  from  preference,  and  the  lift  made 
it  as  easily  accessible  as  one  of  the  lower 
floors.  His  dining-room,  which  I  have  not 
hitherto  described,  awaiting  this  as  the  most 
fitting  opportunity  for  so  doing,  was  a  unique 
and  exceedingly  effective  room.  In  order  to 
carry  out  his  scheme  of  decoration  he  had 
caused  the  original  ceiling  to  be  torn  down 
and  a  high  and  vaulted  roof  to  be  substituted. 
This  had  been  exquisitely  painted  by  an  artist 
of  some  local  renown  to  represent  the  sky, 
over  which  by  daylight  fleecy  clouds  seemed 
sailing,  while  at  night  the  effect  was  that  of 
the  evening  heavens.  Here  and  there  at  in 
tervals  stars  had  been  cut,  indistinguishable 
by  day,  but  at  night  glowing  with  soft  electric 
light,  which,  with  the  shaded  candles  upon  the 
table,  alone  illumined  the  room.  Other  fixt 
ures  there  were  in  the  walls  for  use  on  ordinary 
occasions,  but  when  my  master  especially 
wished  to  honor  his  guests  the  heavens  smiled 
down  upon  them. 

He  had  selected  for  his   table  decorations 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

that  evening  orchids,  the  rarest  and  most 
fragile  of  flowers,  and  scarcely  an  inch  of  the 
exquisite  table-cloth,  a  thing  of  cobwebby 
linen  and  lace  insertion  laid  upon  palest  green 
satin,  showed,  on  account  of  this  even  more 
costly  floral  covering.  In  the  middle  of  the 
table  a  great  silver  plateau,  plain  as  a  mirror, 
save  for  a  narrow  rococo  edge,  held  on  the 
middle  of  its  burnished  surface  a  picturesque 
heap  of  southern  fruits, — apricots,  nectarines, 
peaches,  oranges,  lemons,  and  huge  clusters 
of  black  and  transparent  grapes,  a  sight  to 
move  the  most  jaded  palate  to  fresh  desire. 

Scarcely  a  suggestion  of  an  interior  was 
offered  by  the  room  itself,  which  looked  like 
nothing  so  much  as  a  tropical  jungle,  so  lined 
were  its  walls  with  palms,  great  spreading 
ferns,  orange-trees  in  flower  and  fruit,  and 
cacti.  A  large  Louis-Quinze  screen  of  panelled 
mirrors  hid  the  passage  into  the  pantry-  and 
reflected  the  exquisite  table  and  its  glittering 
appointments. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  a  simultaneous  ex 
clamation  escaped  the  women,  used  though 
they  were  to  the  superlative  expression  of  nine 
teenth-century  luxury,  when  their  eyes  fell  upon 
the  beautiful  scene.  Even  the  duchess  was 
moved  to  press  her  host's  arm  in  approval 
before  relinquishing  it  as  she  took  her  seat. 

"After  all,"  she  said,  in  that  cultivated 
32 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

English  accent  which  her  promotion  has 
brought  with  it,  "for  absolute  disregard  of 
consequences,  commend  me  to  my  own 
countrymen." 

"  What-er — what  is  the  good  of  thinking  of 
the-er — the-er  consequences,  your  grace  ?' ' 
Mr.  Jaffrey  replied,  as  he  stabbed  a  Little-Neck 
clam  with  his  oyster-fork.  "  I-er  suppose  by 
consequences  you-er  mean  the  cost.  Why-er, 
I  shall  have  made  a  good,  an  excellent  bargain 
by  this  little-er  expenditure  to-night,  don't  you 
know  ?  I  shall-er  be  ever  so  much  richer 
to-morrow  ;  richer  in  memories,  richer  in-er 
aesthetic  acquirements,  richer  in-er  experience, 
and  richer  in-er — in-er — oh,  in  ever  so  many 
ways." 

I  was  filling  Miss  Belmine's  glass  with 
Chablis  as  he  said  this,  and  she  was  remarking 
to  Count  Nihilo  Runoff, — 

"Her  grace  is  out  in  full  regalia  to-night. 
What  diamonds  !  Look  at  that  sun  !  and  those 
crescents  !  and  that  string  of  gems  about  her 
neck  !  Almost  barbaric,  such  glitter,  don't 
you  think  ?" 

In  common  with  the  count  I  glanced  at  the 
duchess,  and  did  not  wonder  that  the  Beauty 
had  been  moved  to  exclamation  by  her  appear 
ance. 

All  the  women  were  dressed  or  undressed, 
as  you  choose  to  call  it,  within  an  inch  of  their 
3  33 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

lives  ;  but  she,  the  apotheosis  of  malted  grain, 
Her  Grace  of  Clayborough,  outshone  them  all. 
She  was  a  very  beautiful  woman  of  the  bru 
nette  type,  and  her  gown,  of  a  curious  shade 
of  rose  satin,  clouded  over  the  bust  and  over 
the  huge  puffs  which  did  service  for  sleeves  by 
a  deep  fall  of  black  lace,  was  splendidly  be 
coming.  Her  own  bosom  and  that  of  her 
gown  were  fairly  ablaze  with  diamonds,  and  a 
superb  sun  shone  from  the  dark  masses  of  her 
rich  black  hair,  like  a  single  planet  in  a  mid 
night  sky.  The  string  of  gems  to  which  Miss 
Belmine  referred  was  one  that  was  frequently 
noted  by  the  society  paragraphers.  It  was  a 
chain  of  very  pure  white  stones,  in  a  setting  of 
white  gold  so  delicate  as  to  show  scarcely  at 
all.  This  was  wound  once  about  her  neck  and 
then  fell,  in  a  loose  loop,  to  her  waist.  She 
had  a  trick,  apparently  due  to  absent-minded 
ness,  but  doubtless  the  result  of  studied  effect, 
of  toying  with  this  scintillating  chain,  raising  it 
in  a  careless  handful,  dropping  it  as  if  it  were 
a  string  of  Scotch  pebbles,  and  letting  it  trickle 
casually  through  her  slender  fingers,  only  to 
catch  it  up  again  and  repeat  the  process.  In 
this  manner,  when  her  hands  were  not  other 
wise  employed,  the  diamonds  were  kept  in  con 
stant  motion,  and  so  glittered  and  sparkled  and 
shone  and  burned,  attracting  and  fascinating 
the  gaze  of  the  most  careless  beholder. 
34 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

She  was  the  guest  of  Mrs.  Munyon  Pyle, 
and  the  latter,  seated  on  my  master's  left,  was 
recounting  to  Carolus  Despard,  who  had  taken 
her  in,  some  close  shave  that  their  brougham 
had  had  on  the  way  to  the  opera.  I  caught 
the  end  of  the  story  as,  in  my  tour  of  the  table, 
I  reached  them  : 

"  'Twas  really  a  narrow  escape.  The  horses 
are  new, — Munny  has  just  bought  them, — and, 
as  I  have  been  down  to  Tuxedo  for  the  past 
week,  they  have  not  had  much  exercise. ' ' 

"Ah,  yes  ;  fresh  as  paint,  I  suppose.  Those 
brutes  of  coachmen  never  properly  obey  orders 
as  to  exercising,  unless  your  eye  is  on  them. 
I  congratulate  you  and  the  duchess  upon  your 
escape."  He  raised  his  glass,  and,  leaning 
forward,  caught  her  grace's  eye,  to  embrace 
her  in  the  toast. 

"To  our  good  fortune  and  the  disappoint 
ment  of  the  gods  !"  he  exclaimed,  bowing  to 
the  two  women  in  turn. 

My  master  of  course  raised  his  wine  and 
joined  in  drinking  the  toast,  drawling,  as  he 
deposited  the  empty  glass  again  on  the  table, — 

"An  excellent-er  sentiment,  Caro,  but-er-er 
a  cause  de  quoif" 

The  story  was  then  rehearsed  for  his  benefit, 
but  I  lost  it,  as  my  duties  called  me  out  of  ear 
shot.  As  I  was  about  serving  her  grace  with 
petits  souvenirs  en  embuscade,  a  la  Yvette  Guil- 
35 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

bert,  an  absolutely  new  creation  of  the  chef 
whom  my  master  patronized  and  a  sort  of 
entree  en  coquille,  the  elements  of  which  were 
so  skilfully  disguised  and  so  artistically  pro 
duced  that  though  the  flavoring  was  strong  it 
did  not  offend  the  most  fastidious  palate,  while 
it  awoke  a  thousand  delicious  reminiscences  of 
past  feasts, — as  I  was  about  serving  this  novel 
and  seductive  entree,  I  say,  I  heard  my  master 
ask, — 

"  Had— er — had  you  your  footman  with  you, 
Mrs.  Pyle?" 

Mrs.  Pyle  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"Unfortunately,  no,"  she  replied.  "The 
creature  has  taken  this  time  to  indulge  in  some 
sort  of  illness.  So  stupid  of  him  !  Its  a 
horrid  nuisance  for  me,  just  now  while  the 
duchess  is  with  me  ;  but  I  have  a  new  man 
coming  to-morrow." 

"Will  you-er — will  you  drive  home  with  the 
same  horses  ?' ' 

' '  Oh,  yes,  I  suppose  so.  The  streets  will  be 
quiet  by  that  time,  and  there  will  be  no 
danger." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  shook  his  head. 

"  I-er  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  he  said. 
"  I-er  shall  send  my  man  home  with  you  on 
the  box.  He-er  is  a  quick-witted  rascal,  don't 
you  know,  and-er  no  end  of  a  fellow  about 

horses.     He-er ' ' 

36 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Again  I  was  obliged  to  pass  out  of  hearing, 
reluctant  though  I  was  to  obey  the  necessity, 
but  I  found  later  on  that  my  master's  argu 
ments  had  prevailed,  as  I  received  orders  from 
him,  after  the  supper  was  concluded  and  the 
guests  had  passed  into  the  drawing-room,  to 
hold  myself  in  readiness  to  occupy  the  second 
seat  on  the  box  of  Mrs.  Pyle's  brougham  when 
that  lady  should  see  fit  to  depart. 

It  was  not  until  some  two  hours  later,  how 
ever,  that  the  desirableness  of  such  a  proceed 
ing  seemed  to  suggest  itself  to  Mrs.  Pyle.  It 
was  half-after  two,  and  I  had  had  time  to  set 
the  dining-room  in  order  after  the  hotel-men 
had  cleared  the  table,  and  to  catch  several  cat 
naps  in  my  sitting-room,  before  I  was  sum 
moned.  My  light  slumbers  had  been  disturbed 
by  dreams  in  which  the  gleaming  gems  worn 
by  the  Duchess  of  Clayborough  played  a 
prominent  part.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was 
in  a  sort  of  bower,  watching  a  cascade  falling 
from  a  great  height.  I  thought  that  as  it  fell  it 
seemed  to  change  into  a  rainbow  of  wonderful 
colors  which,  although  a  rainbow,  was  yet 
marvellously  luminous  and  brilliant.  I  said 
aloud,  "  They  must  be  throwing  colored  electric 
lights  upon  it  to  give  it  that  appearance,"  and 
a  voice  answered  me,  "Fool!  those  are 
diamonds,  not  water,  which  you  see  there. 
Plunge  in  your  hands  and  help  yourself ;  such 
37 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

a  chance  does  not  come  twice  in  a  man's  life 
time.  You  will  be  rich,  rich,  rich  !"  And  I 
did  as  the  voice  bade  me,  but,  instead  of  grasp 
ing  that  glittering,  scintillating  stream,  I  awoke 
to  find  myself  clutching  with  both  hands  the 
leg  of  the  table. 

To  say  the  dream  did  not  affect  me  would  be 
untrue.  The  sight  of  such  diamonds  as  those 
worn  by  her  grace  would  arouse  the  cupidity 
of  men  less  easily  tempted  than  I.  I  could 
not  help  casting  up  the  probable  value  of  that 
splendid  trinket,  and  picturing  to  myself  the 
easy  and  comfortable  existence  which  its  pos 
session  would  insure  to  a  man  skilful  enough 
to  acquire  it. 

When  I  answered  the  bell  which  aroused  me 
from  dreams  and  visions  connected  with  those 
fascinating  sparklers,  I  found  the  guests  as 
sembling  in  the  hall,  preparing  for  departure 
and  showering  upon  their  host  superlative  ex 
pressions  of  their  appreciation  of  his  entertain 
ment,  uttered,  however,  in  that  languid,  almost 
bored,  manner  and  tone  which  might  mislead 
one  not  familiar  with  the  customs  of  fashionable 
society. 

As  I  appeared  upon  the  scene,  Mr.  Jaffrey 
cva.5  folding  the  duchess  in  a  wrap  of  black  and 
gold  brocade,  lined  and  edged  about  its  numer 
ous  capes  with  royal  ermine,  and  was  fastening 
it  at  the  throat  with  a  deftness  that  would  have 
38 


There  is-er  a  fastening  here." 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

done  credit  to  a  French  maid.  He  was  ex 
ceedingly  clever  in  his  comprehension  of  the 
puzzling  details  of  woman's  dress,  and  was 
never  betrayed  into  the  awkwardness  frequently 
occasioned  his  sex  by  those  capricious  and  be 
wildering  eccentricities,  hooks  and  eyes. 

"You  are  the  first  man  who  has  ever  solved 
the  intricacies  of  that  fastening, ' '  her  grace  was 
saying,  with  her  beautiful  face  raised  to  his, 
and  her  big,  languorous  black  eyes  glowing 
into  the  blue  ones  just  above  her. 

His  hands  still  lingered  below  the  softly 
rounded  chin,  as  if  they  loved  their  task,  and 
as  she  spoke  he  slowly  dropped  them,  with  that 
deliberateness  of  movement  peculiar  to  him,  to 
the  next  fastening  just  over  her  bosom. 

"There  is-er  a  fastening  here,"  he  said, 
lowering  his  voice  and  meeting  her  challenging 
look  with  one  full  of  significance,  "which  the 
world  says  is-er — is  securely  defended  against 
all  attempts.  Would-er — would  that  I  had 
equal  comprehension  of-er — of  the-er  mys 
teries  of  its  peculiar  construction." 

He  had  dropped  a  pace  or  two  back,  and, 
with  his  hands  thrust  into  his  pockets,  was 
standing  confronting  her,  with  a  bold  look  of 
admiration  on  his  face. 

She  lowered  her  eyes  for  an  instant,  and 
then  raised  them,  filled  with  alluring  encourage 
ment,  to  his. 

39 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"  And  yet  its  secret  might  so  easily  be  forced 
from  its  owner's  keeping  by — the  right  man," 
she  replied,  softly.  Then,  changing  her  tone 
and  extending  both  hands,  she  continued, 
' '  The  charm  of  this  place  makes  us  quite  for 
get  decency.  The  tardiness  of  our  departure 
will  make  you  repent  your  hospitality.  It  has 
been  quite  too  delicious,  and  I  shall  remember 
it  for  ever  and  ever.  Good-night !  Many 
thanks  !  Too  bad  to  take  your  man  out  at  this 
hour,  but  I  confess  I  shall  feel  safer.  You  are 
going  down  with  us  ?  Quite  unnecessary. 
You  will?  Oh,  you  prince  of  hosts!"  And 
so,  conducted  by  my  master,  the  charming 
group  trooped  out  to  the  lift,  quite  filling  it  by 
their  number,  while  I  took  the  stairs. 

Among  the  carriages  waiting  below,  that  of 
Mrs.  Pyle  was  distinguishable  by  the  fretfulness 
and  impatience  of  its  horses.  They  had  been 
waiting  some  time,  and  had  grown  nervous  and 
tired.  Mr.  Jaffrey  placed  the  two  ladies  within, 
and  I  mounted  the  box,  my  master  explaining 
to  the  coachman  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
late  difficulty  with  the  horses,  Mrs.  Pyle  felt 
nervous  at  not  having  another  man  at  hand  in 
event  of  accident. 

The  fellow  was  evidently  a  surly  brute,  al 
though  too  well  trained  to  make  any  reply  to 
Mr.  Jaffrey,  but  no  sooner  had  we  started 
than  he  began  muttering  to  himself  some  re- 
40 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

marks  upon  the  cursed  interference  of  other 
people. 

I  pretended  to  take  no  notice  of  him,  being, 
in  fact,  too  much  occupied  with  my  own 
thoughts  to  spare  any  of  them  to  him.  Sud 
denly,  however,  he  began  a  more  direct  attack 
upon  me. 

"And  nobody  but  a  damned  understrapper 
as  didn't  dare  say  his  soul  was  his  own  would 
let  himself  be  sent  out  on  such  business  at 
such  an  hour,"  he  said. 

This  stirred  me  up.  "What's  that  you 
say  ?' '  I  cried. 

He  repeated  his  remark,  with  a  good  many 
insulting  additions,  and — well,  it  is  not  neces 
sary  to  repeat  what  I  answered.  The  details 
of  a  fight  are  never  very  interesting  reading, 
unless  to  the  sporting  world  ;  it  is  enough  to 
say  that  we  had  it  back  and  forth,  back  and 
forth,  hotter  and  hotter,  until  both  our  tempers 
were  at  boiling  pitch  and  his  hands  shook  so 
he  could  hardly  hold  the  reins. 

"Look  here,"  said  I,  finally,  "I've  had 
enough  of  your  gab.  Hold  your  jaw,  now, 
and  I'll  meet  you  to-morrow,  like  a  man,  in  any 
stable  you  name,  where  we'll  have  fair  play, 

and,  by  ,  I'll  knock  the  stuffing  out  of 

your ' ' 

But  I  never  finished  the  sentence  ;  for  just 
then  we  came  to  a  bit  of  road  which  was  roped 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

off  with  red  lanterns,  leaving  a  narrow  passage 
way  for  carriages.  The  horses  had  been  grow 
ing  excitable  under  his  angry  hands,  and  the 
sight  of  the  red  lights  proved  too  much  for 
their  nerves.  One  shied  violently  ;  this  fright 
ened  the  other  ;  the  carriage  swerved  sharply 
to  the  right,  nearly  throwing  me  off  the  box, 
and  then  up  Madison  Avenue  we  tore,  wholly 
at  the  mercy  of  the  maddened  brutes,  who  had 
absolutely  escaped  control. 

I  heard  a  faint  shriek  from  the  carriage, 
evidently  from  one  of  the  terrified  women 
within,  then  the  windows  being  shut  down 
into  their  sockets,  and  a  wild  shout  from  Mrs. 
Pyle,— 

"Shall  we  jump?  Shall  we  jump?  Oh, 
heavens  !  what  is  it  ?' ' 

I  yelled  back,  ' '  Not  for  your  lives  !  Keep 
still ;  it  is  a  clear  road,  and  we'll  soon  get  them 
under."  But  at  such  a  pace  were  we  going 
that  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  keep  myself  upon 
the  box. 

"Are  you  done  up  ?  Shall  I  take  the  reins  ? 
Hand  them  over,  if  you  want, ' '  I  gasped  out 
to  the  coachman,  all  sense  of  anger  being  for 
gotten  in  this  common  danger  which  stared  us 
in  the  face. 

He  gave  a  grunt  implying  that  he  could  still 
hold  on,  although  his  doing  so  was  almost  an 
empty  form,  for  his  touch  upon  the  lines  was 
42 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

all  but  useless.  Just  then,  as  ill  luck  would 
have  it,  we  heard  the  sound  of  a  gong  in  the 
distance. 

"  Good  God  !  A  fire-engine  !"  I  ejaculated, 
and  the  next  moment  we  saw  it  looming  down 
the  avenue,  a  great,  horrible,  angry-looking 
monster  rushing  furiously  toward  us.  "Turn 
them  into  the  sidewalk, — into  a  house, — any 
where  !"  I  cried  to  the  almost  exhausted  man 
beside  me  ;  "can't  you?" 

"  God  !  no  !"  he  breathed,  agonizedly  :  "they 
won't  mind  my  hand." 

Another  instant,  and  the  thing  was  upon  us. 
I  have  a  very  confused  impression  of  what 
happened.  In  talking  it  over  afterward  with 
the  coachman  (who  turned  out  a  very  decent 
and  plucky  fellow),  we  agreed  that  the  horses, 
on  coming  abreast  the  engine,  jumped  to  one 
side,  bolted  again,  and  brought  up  against  the 
hook-and-ladder  truck.  At  all  eventg,  the 
brougham  was  overturned,  the  shafts  snapped 
off  close  to  the  body  of  the  carriage,  we  were 
thrown  violently  to  the  ground,  and  the  horses 
escaped  to  pursue  their  own  sweet  will,  being 
captured,  the  next  morning,  somewhere  up  in 
Harlem. 

I  was  lucky  enough  to  get  off  scot-free,  and 

my  first  thoughts  were  for  my  companion.     He, 

poor  chap,    was    lying  with  his  head  broken 

open  by  the  curbstone,  against  which  he  had 

43 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

fallen.  Then  I  remembered  the  ladies,  who 
had  been  my  special  charge.  I  went  back  to 
the  brougham,  which  lay  upon  its  side,  and 
from  which  no  sound  proceeded. 

As  I  limped  along  I  couldn't  for  the  life  of 
me  help  thinking  of  my  dream,  that  glorious, 
dazzling,  glittering  dream,  and  of  a  voice  which 
had  said,  "Help  yourself!  Such  a  chance 
does  not  come  twice  in  a  lifetime." 

The  avenue  had  been  quite  deserted  when 
we  collided  against  the  hook-and-ladder  truck, 
and  this  and  the  engine  had  proceeded  on 
their  ways,  too  much  occupied  with  the  danger 
it  was  their  business  to  relieve  to  heed  our 
strait.  Now,  however,  one  or  two  policemen 
hove  in  sight,  doubtless  warned  of  trouble  by 
the  appearance  of  the  runaways. 

I  had  but  a  couple  of  moments  in  which  to 
investigate  the  amount  of  damage  sustained 
by  the  two  ladies,  when  one  of  the  officers 
accosted  me. 

"  Anybody  killed  ?"  he  asked. 

"No  ;  but  two  ladies  injured,"  I  replied. 

"Badly?" 

"  Can't  say  :  they  are  both  unconscious." 

I  mentioned  their  names,  which  duly  im 
pressed  him,  and  the  fact  that  both,  the  duchess 
particularly,  wore  jewels  of  great  value,  sug 
gesting  that  it  would  be  well  to  keep  the  mob 
at  a  distance,  for  a  goodly  number  of  persons, 
44 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

springing  seemingly  from  the  pavement,  were 
already  gathered  about  the  carriage. 

He  nodded  and  took  measures  to  carry  my 
advice  into  effect,  while  a  second  officer  hurried 
off  to  the  nearest  patrol-box  to  telephone  for 
an  ambulance. 

It  was  a  matter  of  little  difficulty  to  revive 
Mrs.  Pyle,  who  had  merely  fainted  from  terror, 
and  who  on  coming  to  herself  showed  signs  of 
hysteria  until  she  discovered  the  more  serious 
plight  of  the  duchess.  The  latter  presented  a 
sorry  spectacle.  In  the  overset  of  the  carriage 
she  had  been  thrown  violently  forward,  her 
head  striking  with  considerable  force,  prob 
ably,  against  the  hard  edge  of  the  door.  This 
blow,  besides  stunning  her,  had  cut  a  deep 
gash  in  her  white  forehead,  from  which  the 
blood  was  flowing  freely  down  over  her  face 
and  neck,  staining  with  hideous  contrast  the 
ermine  trimming  of  her  gorgeous  wrap. 

We  succeeded  in  extricating  her  from  the 
overturned  carriage,  and  placed  her  in  a  more 
comfortable  position  upon  the  cushions  which 
we  made  into  a  temporary  couch  upon  the 
sidewalk.  A  messenger  was  sent  for  the  near 
est  doctor,  and  another  to  a  neighboring  stable 
for  a  carriage,  Mrs.  Pyle's  sensibilities  being 
horribly  outraged  at  the  idea  of  placing  a 
duchess  within  a  police  ambulance  ! 

By  the  time  the  physician  arrived,  however, 
45 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

her  grace  had  regained  consciousness,  and 
after  a  hasty  examination  he  delighted  Mrs. 
Pyle  with  the  assurance  that  no  serious  damage, 
aside  from  the  temporary  disfiguration  of  the 
ducal  countenance,  had  been  sustained  by  her 
noble  guest. 

We  placed  the  women  in  the  carriage,  and 
I  again  became  their  escort,  depositing  them 
within  a  few  minutes  at  the  door  of  Mrs.  Pyle's 
residence  on  the  corner  of  Madison  Avenue 
and  — th  Street.  Both  ladies  were  profuse  in 
expressions  of  gratitude  for  my  attentions  to 
them. 

When  I  reached  home  I  found  my  master 
in  bed  and  asleep,  and  therefore  waited  until 
morning  before  acquainting  him  with  the  news 
of  the  disaster.  Then — for  I  had  many 
thoughts,  some  of  them  strange  and  perplex 
ing  enough,  to  occupy  my  mind — I  sat  down 
with  a  cigar  in  my  room  and  spent  an  hour  in 
meditation. 

My  first  act  the  next  morning  was  to  take  in 
the  paper  and  run  my  eyes  down  its  first  page. 
There  it  was,  what  I  sought  for,  in  a  prominent 
position,  with  a  large-lettered  and  appropriately 
sensational  head-line  : 

"Accident  to  Two  Leaders  of  Society,  and 

Robbery  of  the  Duchess  of  Clayborough  !    The 

horses  attached  to  the  brougham  of  Mrs.  Mun- 

yon  Pyle  run  away  and  cause  a  loss  to  the 

46 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Duchess  of  Clayborough  of  many  thousand 
dollars. 

"  Last  night,  as  the  Duchess  of  Clayborough, 
nee  Chiselby,  and  Mrs.  Munyon  Pyle,  wife  of 
'  Munny'  Pyle  the  great  Wall  Street  operator, 
were  returning  in  the  latter' s  brougham  from 
some  social  function,  the  horses  took  fright  at  a 
fire-engine  and  became  unmanageable.  In 
spite  of  the  most  skilful  attempts  upon  the  part 
of  the  coachman  to  control  them,  the  animals 
bolted,  and,  coming  into  collision  with  a  hook- 
and-ladder  truck,  dashed  the  brougham  to 
pieces,  freeing  themselves  from  the  shafts  and 
escaping  to  parts  unknown. 

' '  A  crowd  quickly  collected,  and  the  two 
ladies  were  rescued  at  once  from  their  danger 
ous  positions  and  an  investigation  made  as  to  the 
extent  of  their  injuries.  It  was  found  that  Mrs. 
Pyle  had  merely  succumbed  to  terror,  and  she 
was  easily  restored,  but  the  Duchess  of  Clay- 
borough  had  been  less  fortunate.  While  es 
caping  serious  hurt,  her  grace' s  head  had  sus 
tained  very  considerable  injuries,  which  will  for 
a  long  time  leave  their  marks  upon  her  beauti 
ful  countenance. 

"More  than  this,  upon  her  return  to  the 
magnificent  home  of  Mrs.  Pyle,  whose  guest 
she  is,  the  duchess  discovered  that  she  had 
either  lost  or  been  robbed  of  the  celebrated 
string  of  diamonds  that  had  formed  part  of  her 
47 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

attire  during  the  evening,  and  of  which  the 
world  has  heard  so  much. 

"Late  as  the  hour  was,  Mrs.  Pyle,  who  is 
naturally  deeply  chagrined  at  the  whole  affair, 
caused  the  police  to  be  notified,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  the  dastardly  scoundrel  who  took 
advantage  of  the  hapless  lady's  unfortunate 
plight  may  be  speedily  brought  to  justice.  The 
police  are  confident  of  success  in  the  matter." 

I  had  scarcely  concluded  the  article  when  I 
was  summoned  to  the  door  by  the  ringing  of 
the  electric  bell.  I  found  two  gentlemen  in 
official  dress  standing  without. 

I  at  once  recognized  one  as  being  the  police 
man  who  had  first  arrived  upon  the  scene  the 
previous  night ;  but  before  I  could  salute  him 
he  had  made  a  sign  to  his  comrade,  who,  step 
ping  forward,  clapped  upon  my  wrists  a  pair  of 
very  simply  fashioned  and  unlovely  bracelets. 
Had  they  been  a  more  novel  adornment  to  my 
person  I  had,  perhaps,  been  more  mindful  of 
their  discomfort.  As  it  was,  their  contact 
was  similar  to  the  embrace  of  an  old  acquaint 
ance. 

It  is  possible  for  me  to  impress  my  features 
with  an  enormous  variety  of  expressions,  and 
now  I  looked  simple  and  surprised  amazement 
and  appeared  too  astonished  for  words.  The 
officer  caught  my  look,  and  was  evidently  some 
what  deceived  by  it. 

48 


"It's  for  a  charge  of  robbery,"  he  explained, 
rather  apologetically  ;  ' '  and  you  must  come 
along  with  us. ' ' 

"Robbery!"  I  exclaimed,  as  innocently  as 
if  I  had  not  just  finished  reading  the  whole 
account  of  it.  "  Robbery  of  what?" 

He  explained  briefly,  and  asserted  his  inten 
tion  of  searching  my  rooms  and  possessions. 

I  knew  I  had  nothing  to  fear  from  this  pro 
ceeding,  and  assured  him  he  was  at  liberty  to 
do  so,  but  begged  that  while  he  was  engaged 
in  the  operation  he  would  allow  me  to  wake  my 
master  and  explain  matters  to  him. 

To  this,  after  locking  the  outer  door  and  slip 
ping  the  key  into  his  pocket,  he  assented.  I 
asked  him  to  free  my  wrists,  that  I  might  assist 
my  master  with  his  toilet,  but  he  absolutely  re 
fused  to  do  so,  and  posted  his  comrade  outside 
Mr.  Jaffrey's  chamber  to  see  that  I  made  no 
attempt  to  give  them  the  slip.  They  turned 
me  inside  out  to  assure  themselves  that  the 
chain  was  not  somewhere  upon  my  person,  and 
then  I  was  allowed  to  pass  into  my  master's 
room. 

As  I  crossed  the  threshold,  I  drew  to  the 
door  behind  me  and  then  softly  and  quickly 
turned  the  key  in  the  lock.  This  done,  I  pulled 
the  heavy  portiere  of  pale-green  and  silver 
tapestry  close  over  the  key-hole  and  chinks,  for 
I  thought  that  my  master,  taken  thus  by  sur- 
4  49 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

prise,  might  be  betrayed  into  some  ejaculation 
or  remark  which  it  would  be  quite  as  well  the 
confounded  rascals  outside  should  not  hear. 
Then  I  approached  the  bed  and  stood  for  a 
moment  contemplating  its  occupant. 

It  is  quite  singular,  I  think,  how  unexpected 
kindness  queers  us,  sometimes.  I  remember 
well  that  the  day  when  my  eyes  first  fell  upon 
Mr.  Jaffrey  sitting,  the  picture  of  a  disgusted, 
vacant-looking  dude,  in  the  jury-box  of  the 

court-room,  I  thought  to  myself,  "Well, 

you  are  the  d — dest  apology  for  a  man  I  ever 
saw."  If  I  had  had  a  good  chance  to  do  so,  I 
would  have  rifled  his  pockets  as  remorselessly 
as  I  would  have  picked  the  meat  off  a  grilled 
bone,  and  would  have  kicked  aside  his  carcase 
with  as  little  compunction  as  I  would  have  tossed 
the  worthless  bone  away. 

Then  he  had  come  out  and  spoken  to  me, 
had  treated  me  like  a  man  and  not  a  scoundrel, 
had  shown  an  interest  in  me  and  offered  to  help 
me  ;  and  I  had  looked  at  him  in  sheer  wonder 
ment.  Then  I  went  to  jail,  and  all  the  time 
I  was  there,  serving  out  my  time,  I  sort  of 
thought  over  his  offer  to  me,  and  a  queer  feel 
ing  got  into  me  ;  and  after  I  went  to  bed  nights 
I  would  keep  seeing  his  face,  the  face  of  a 
fashionable  dude,  of  a  tailor's  dummy  and  a 
woman's  pal,  and  I  would  hear  over  and  over 
again  the  tones  of  his  soft,  drawling  voice, 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

until,  somehow  or  other,  they  grew  into  me  and 
got  to  be  a  part  of  my  life. 

I  looked  down  at  him  now,  as  he  lay  there, 
and  wondered  more  and  more  at  his  power 
over  me.  He  did  not  look  the  sort  of  man 
who  would  have  much  influence  over  such  a 
devil's  scullion  as  I. 

But  he  was  a  handsome  man  ;  no  one  could 
deny  that.  As  he  lay  there  sleeping  as  soundly 
and  as  innocently  as  a  child,  he  looked  more 
like  a  beautiful  woman  than  a  man.  His  skin 
was  as  fair  and  soft  as  skin  could  be,  tinted 
with  a  delicate  color  which  would  never  become 
florid.  His  face  was  clean-shaven,  save  for 
his  moustache,  and  his  mouth  was  most  beauti 
fully  cut,  the  lips  curved  and  gentle  and  guilt 
less  of  those  marks  of  sensuality  and  indul 
gence  which  mar  so  many  masculine  lips. 
His  lashes  were  long  and  curling  like  a  child's, 
and,  as  he  slept,  lay  heavily  underscoring  his 
closed  lids  ;  and  his  rather  long  light  hair  lay 
tossed  carelessly  over  a  brow  as  white  as  a 
girl's. 

As  I  stood  gazing  at  him  I  wondered  if  I 
had  got  to  leave  him  for  good  and  all,  and  if 
this  were  the  last  time  I  should  stand  there  in 
that  womanish  room  and  render  him  such  vapid 
service  as  it  would  have  nauseated  me  to  render 
any  other  man. 

And — would  any  one  believe  it  ? — as  I  stood 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

there  thinking  that,  down  from  my  ridiculous 
face,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  from  the  eyes 
of  me,  Jenkins  Hanby,  there  rolled  a  great, 
big  drop  and  fell,  before  I  could  stop  it,  plump 
on  his  face.  I  would  not  have  told  this,  only 
it  was  that  which  woke  him  up. 

"  Why-er,  what  the  devil  !"  he  cried,  open 
ing  his  eyes  wide  and  brushing  his  hand  over 
his  cheek  ;  "  raining  !" 

I  had  drawn  back  a  step,  ashamed  of  my 
chicken-heartedness,  and,  as  he  spoke,  I  again 
advanced  to  his  side. 

"It's  I,  sir,"  I  said,  respectfully  but  quickly, 
making  no  explanation  of  the  ridiculous  folly 
that  had  been  the  means  of  waking  him  ;  then, 
with  a  backward  motion  of  the  head,  "  There's 
cops  in  the  other  room." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  sprang  erect,  and  a  steely  spark 
came  into  his  blue  eyes. 

"Cops!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  do  they 
want  here  ?  And  you,  Hanby,  what  have  you 
got  those  twisters  on  your  wrists  for  ?" 

He  spoke  sharp  and  quick,  as  he  always  did 
under  the  influence  of  excitement  or  emotion. 

It  took  me  but  a  few  moments  to  explain  the 
whole  matter  to  him.  When  I  had  finished 
we  looked  at  each  other  in  dead  silence  for  a 
minute  ;  then  he  said, — 

"Any  proof  against  you,  Hanby?" 

"Not  a  bit,  sir,"  I  replied. 
52 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"You'll  have  to  go  with  them,  I  suppose?" 

I  nodded. 

He  waited  a  little,  apparently  lost  in  thought, 
then  looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes  and  said, — 

"Your  past  character  may  tell  against  you. 
If — if  by  any  chance  you  should  be  convicted, 
I'll  see  that  you  are  released,  Hanby.  Under 
stand  ?" 

I  sprang  forward,  understanding  only  too 
well. 

"No,  sir,"  I  cried.  "No,  sir;  don't  you 
do  it.  There  isn't  a  shadow  of  evidence 
against  me,  excepting  that  I  had  the  oppor 
tunity,  and  the  fact  of  my  past.  But  if  I 
should  get  a  term  for  it,  what  will  it  matter  ? 
You  know  it's  an  old  story  with  me,  and  I 
don't  mind  it.  Don't  you  interfere  and  mix 
yourself  up  in  it.  Now  don't,  for  God's  sake, 
sir!" 

He  got  out  of  bed  and  held  out  his  hand  to 
me.  Then,  seeing  that  the  handcuffs  made  it 
impossible  for  me  to  respond  to  his  gesture, 
which,  knowing  my  place  well,  I  would  not 
have  done  in  any  case,  he  changed  his  in 
tention  and  laid  his  hand  for  a  moment  on  my 
shoulder,  looking  down  into  my  eyes  with  a 
strange  light  in  his  own. 

"You  are  a  good  little  chap,  Hanby,"  he 
said.  "  I  will  see  to  it  that  you  don't  suffer, 
you  may  be  sure.  Now  I'll  get  into  my  clothes 
53 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

and  see  those  gentlemen  in  the  other  room. 
You  go  and  show  them  where  the  weeds  are, 
and  I'll  soon  appear." 

My  arrest  resulted  as  I  had  anticipated  it 
would.  Nothing  save  opportunity  could  be 
proved  against  me.  Certain  events  connected 
with  my  past,  known  to  the  police,  were  brought 
forward  as  evidence  against  my  character,  but 
Mr.  Jaffrey  had  engaged  a  skilful  lawyer  as 
counsel  for  me,  and  it  was  a  simple  matter  for 
him  to  secure  my  discharge. 

After  a  slight  detention,  therefore,  I  was  re 
leased  and  permitted  to  return  to  the  perform 
ance  of  those  duties  which  had  grown  so  agree 
able  to  me,  while  the  police  were  left  to  the 
task  of  unravelling  a  mystery  which  kept  their 
abilities  on  the  stretch  for  a  pretty  considerable 
period. 


54 


CHAPTER    III 

'T'HE  woman's  name  most  often  bracketed 
1  with  that  of  my  master  in  the  society  jour 
nals  was  that  of  Leila  Caprices,  the  young  wife 
of  a  wealthy  South  American.  She  had  been 
a  New  York  girl  of  good  birth  but  little  fortune, 
less  remarkable  for  beauty  than  for  a  certain 
daring  originality  of  style  and  mode  of  life, 
which  had  gained  her  some  prominence  in  the 
social  world  even  before  her  union  with  the 
large  fortune  of  Jose  Caprices. 

Since  her  marriage  and  the  consequent  un 
loosing  of  those  bonds  of  feminme  restraint 
which  are  traditionally  supposed  to  hamper 
somewhat  the  flights  of  maidenly  aspirations, 
she  had  become  emancipated  with  a  vengeance. 
Probably  among  all  the  well-aired  reports  and 
scandals  of  metropolitan  life  no  name  figured 
more  frequently  and  conspicuously  than  did 
hers.  Her  reputation  was  a  thing  of  shreds 
and  patches,  yet,  like  a  torn  and  tattered  flag 
whose  very  rags  make  it  of  greater  value  to 
loyal  hearts,  in  the  sight  of  that  society  of 
55 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

which  it  was  so  prominent  an  oriflamme  the 
reputation  of  Leila  Caprices  was  considerably 
enhanced  by  reason  of  the  scars  it  bore. 

Even  before  her  connubial  felicity  had 
learned  to  stand  alone,  its  tender  feet  had 
tottered  on  the  brink  of  the  Divorce  Court, 
and,  now  that  time  had  taught  it  to  march  by 
itself,  it  trod  firmly  along  the  edge  of  the 
matrimonial  precipice,  dreading  no  tumble, 
because  bulwarked  by  an  unexpected  and  very 
considerable  legacy  from  a  deceased  admirer, 
whom  rumor  had  selected  to  be  the  co-respon 
dent  in  the  case  it  was  anticipating,  when  that 
grisly  suitor,  Death,  stepped  in  and  appro 
priated  Leila  Caprices'  victim  for  its  own. 

She  had  two  children, — her  "little  mis 
takes"  she  called  them,  not  by  way  of  fun, 
but  from  simple  conviction, — charming  little 
creatures,  excellently  trained  and  disciplined 
by  the  French  bonne  who  had  had  charge  of 
them  from  their  birth,  and  for  whom  they  felt 
far  more  affection  than  for  their  mother.  I 
used  frequently  to  come  across  them  in  the 
Park,  and  often  stopped  for  a  little  conver 
sation  with  the  woman,  who  was  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  talk  to  some  one  in  her  own 
tongue. 

She  it  was  who  gave  me  much  information 
about  her  mistress,  whom  she  detested,  and 
who,  she  asserted,  loved  absolutely  no  one  in 
56 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

the  world  besides  herself  and  her  caniche,  a 
wretched  little  Russian  poodle,  painfully  dis 
figured  by  the  shears. 

The  latest  fancy  of  this  Supreme  Social  Suc 
cess  had  been  my  master,  not  that  she  cared 
the  snap  of  her  exquisitely  manicured  little 
finger  about  him,  but  merely  because  it  was 
her  aim  to  link  her  name  with  the  latest  thing 
in  the  way  of  celebrities.  Their  connection  (a 
perfectly  harmless  one,  I  am  sure,  as  I  had 
free  access  to  their  correspondence)  was  a  pro 
lific  subject  of  gossip  ;  and  many  and  varied 
were  the  rumors  current  concerning  it- 
Singular  as  it  may  seem,  I  had  never  laid 
eyes  upon  the  woman,  and,  as  I  felt  a  deep 
interest  in  everything  which  related  to  my 
master,  I  determined  to  make  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  her.  Therefore,  having  discovered 
that  she  was  to  give  a  dinner  and  theatre-party 
upen  a  certain  evening,  I  resolved  to  go  to  the 
extravagance  of  an  admission  ticket  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  satisfying  my  curiosity  in  her 
regard. 

The  play  was  ' '  The  Second  Mrs.  Tan- 
queray,"  and  the  house,  with  the  exception  of 
the  boxes,  was  tolerably  full  at  the  rise  of  the 
curtain.  At  the  fashionable  time,  midway  in 
the  first  act,  the  holders  of  boxes  began  to 
make  their  languid  and  noisy  appearance.  I 
had  secured  a  position  that  commanded  the 
57 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

box  which  I  had  learned  at  the  ticket-office  had 
been  engaged  by  Senora  Caprices,  as,  although 
an  American  and  living  in  New  York,  she  in 
sisted  upon  being  styled  by  virtue  of  her  hus 
band's  foreign  extraction. 

It  was  not  until  the  curtain  was  going  up  for 
the  second  time  that  signs  of  occupancy  were 
visible  in  the  space  upon  which  my  eyes  were 
fixed.  Suddenly,  however,  the  attention  of  the 
audience  was  diverted  from  the  stage  and 
turned  upon  the  box,  into  which  several  con 
spicuous  figures  were  making  a  noisy  and  con 
sequently  effective  entrance. 

It  took  some  moments  for  these  to  relieve 
themselves  of  their  wraps  and  get  seated  to 
their  own  satisfaction,  if  not  to  that  of  their 
companions.  When,  however,  this  was  finally 
accomplished,  I  observed  that  the  figures  which 
attracted  most  notice  from  that  portion  of  the 
audience  in  my  immediate  vicinity  were  those 
of  a  man  and  a  woman  who  occupied  positions 
facing,  not  the  stage,  but  the  auditorium. 

"  Courtice  Jaffrey  and  Leila  Caprices!" 
"That's  Courtice  Jaffrey!"  "There's  Leila 
Caprices!"  "You've  heard  of  Courtice  Jaf 
frey,  the  New  York  dude,  the  greatest  Johnny 
in  America  ?"  "  Yes,  she  was  Leila  Golds- 
borough ' ' 

It  was  this  last  remark,  among  the  many 
called  forth  by  the  appearance  of  the  Caprices 
53 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

party,  that  made  me  start  forward  and  gaze 
even  more  intently  at  the  box. 

Leila  Goldsborough  !  I  have  a  memory,  as 
I  have  said  before,  and  few  things,  from  names 
to  the  most  trivial  occurrences,  escape  it. 
These  five  syllables  .thus  placed  were  perfectly 
familiar  to  me,  and  I  easily  recalled  the  cir 
cumstance  of  my  becoming  acquainted  with 
them. 

It  was  eight  years  ago  when  I  first  heard 
that  name,  and  in  Vienna.  I  was  at  that  time 
valet  to  Lord  What's-his-name,  whom  I  have 
before  alluded  to,  and  who  was  then  occupying 
the  post  of  British  ambassador  to  the  Austrian 
court.  Lord  What's-his-name  had  also  in  his 
employ  a  young  Englishman  acting  as  private 
secretary,  an  attractive  young  scoundrel  who 
was  well  calculated  to  look  after  his  own  inter 
ests  unless  dominated  by  his  passions,  which 
were  exceedingly  keen.  Although  our  posi 
tions  in  his  lordship's  household  were  on  a 
very  different  footing,  I  was  so  much  more  pro 
ficient  in  the  many  accomplishments  that  most 
powerfully  appealed  to  the  young  secretary's 
taste  that  he  rather  looked  up  to  and  courted 
me. 

One  day  he  took  me  into  his  confidence  re 
specting  his  most  recent  love-affair,  and  asked 
me  to  become  witness  to  a  secret  marriage  be 
tween  himself  and  the  object  of  his  affections. 
59 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  latter  was  a  young  American  girl,  poor 
and  not  even  beautiful,  a  sort  of  dependant 
upon  a  rich  aunt  with  whom  she  was  making  a 
European  tour. 

I  did  everything  I  could  to  turn  him  from  his 
purpose,  but  without  result.  Something  about 
the  girl  had  completely  captivated  him,  and  as, 
like  the  late  Empress  of  the  French,  she  was 
only  to  be  won  by  the  door  of  the  chapel,  he 
had  determined  to  yield  to  her  scruples. 

I  don't  think  he  had  much  fear  of  the  result 
of  a  marriage  ceremony,  for  he  had  no  pros 
pects,  and  so  nothing  to  lose  should  this  girl 
ever  make  public  her  claim  ;  while  she,  being 
financially  at  the  mercy  of  a  relative  who  would 
most  certainly  turn  her  adrift  if  the  fact  of  a 
clandestine  and  ill-advised  marriage  came  to 
light,  had  every  reason  for  concealing  it. 

So  these  two  impulsive  young  fools,  over 
come  with  a  mad  and  senseless  passion  for 
each  other,  were  married  by  the  chaplain  of  a 
little  Church-of-England  chapel  in  Vienna,  who 
had  been  a  school-mate  of  the  groom.  And 
the  name  of  the  bride  was  Leila  Goldsborough  ! 

I  turned  to  a  gentleman  standing  beside  me. 

"Would  you  be  so  kind,  sir,"  I  requested, 
"  as  to  allow  me  to  use  your  glass  a  moment  ?' ' 

He  nodded  good-naturedly,  and  handed  the 
article  to  me.  I  adjusted  it  to  my  eyes  and 
looked  at  the  box. 

60 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  woman  over  whose  shoulder  my  master 
was  leaning  was  noteworthy  ;  there  could  be 
no  doubt  on  that  point.  She  was  rather  a 
small  woman, — that  is,  she  was  certainly  not 
above  the  average  size, — but  her  figure  was 
more  perfectly  proportioned  and  modelled  than 
that  of  any  other  woman  I  have  ever  seen. 
There  was  not  a  line  or  curve  about  it  that  one 
would  have  had  altered.  The  sleeveless  bodice 
of  her  black  chiffon  gown,  precariously  held 
in  position  upon  the  shoulders  by  diamond 
clasps,  following  the  fashion  was  cut  tremen 
dously  low,  exposing  a  bust  of  ivory,  and  an 
exquisitely  turned  neck  encircled  by  a  single 
row  of  emeralds.  As  far  as  her  chin  all  was 
admirable,  but  the  rest  left  much  to  be  desired. 

Her  hair  had  evidently  been  subjected  to  a 
wash  which  had  changed  it  from  the  auburn 
shade  which  I  remembered  into  a  lifeless  yel 
low,  that  went  badly  with  a  face  intended  for 
a  different  setting.  A  very  beautiful  tiara  of 
emeralds  rested  above  the  fluffy  fringe,  and  the 
stones  matched  in  color,  though  not  in  shade, 
the  artificially  darkened  eyes  which  shone  be 
neath  them.  Her  complexion  had  been  natu 
rally  sallow  and  colorless,  but  of  all  physical 
faults  of  omission  that  is,  perhaps,  the  easiest 
to  remedy,  and  at  present  a  very  natural  and 
becoming  tint  glowed  upon  Senora  Caprices' 
cheeks. 

61 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Senora  Caprices — Leila  Goldsborough — Mrs. 
Edward  Rising  !  A  trinity  of  personalities. 
What  luck  to  have  come  across  her  again  ! 
Why,  she  would  be  a  perfect  gold-mine  to  me, 
a  comfortable  support  for  my  old  age,  a  goose 
that  should  yield  golden  eggs  whereby  I  should 
exist ! 

Bigamy  is  an  ugly  cloud  to  sail  down  upon 
the  sunshine  of  a  woman's  life.  A  thousand 
irregularities  of  conduct  cannot  compare  with 
it.  A  lady  of  Senora  Caprices'  position  will 
pay  well  to  avert  its  shadow. 

And  how,  perhaps  you  will  ask,  did  I  know 
that  this  lady  had  committed  so  dark  a  crime 
as  that  ?  Because  only  the  week  before  I  had 
chanced  to  read  in  the  Court  Journal,  which 
Mr.  Jaffrey  took  in,  that  the  Hon.  Edward 

Rising,  M.P.  for shire,  and  his  charming 

wife  Lady  Edith,  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Lord  What's-his-name,  were  guests  at  Great 
Lodge,  Wiltshire.  What  a  conglomeration  of 
coincidences  life  is,  to  be  sure  !  I  wondered 
if  the  Honorable  Edward  would  likewise  re 
member  me. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  there  began  to 
appear  in  the  newspapers  certain  paragraphs 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  Senora  Caprices 
was  being  made  the  victim  of  a  mysterious  sys 
tem  of  theft.  The  misfortunes  of  the  lady 
formed  an  excellent  source  of  copy  for  the 
62 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

journals,  and  reporters  made  much  of  so  golden 
an  opportunity.  Many  persons,  knowing  Leila 
Caprices'  love  of  notoriety  to  be  equal  to  that 
of  the  most  ambitious  actress,  shrugged  their 
shoulders  at  the  whole  business  and  denounced 
it  as  a  "free  advertising  dodge."  Others 
there  were  who,  being  familiar  with  the  jewels 
asserted  to  have  been  stolen,  and  noting  that 
they  were,  indeed,  no  longer  to  be  seen  adorn 
ing  the  lady's  toilet,  believed  that  they  were, 
in  fact,  missing  from  her  possession,  but,  wink 
ing  knowingly  at  one  another,  suggested  that 
the  times  were  hard,  money  was  tight,  invest 
ments  had  depreciated,  and  the  Senora's  in 
come  might  be  inadequate  to  cope  with  the 
whims  of  so  notoriously  extravagant  a  woman 
as  its  mistress. 

Here  and  there  might  be  found  a  few  credu 
lous  fools  simple  enough  to  believe  that  on  an 
average  of  once  a  week  an  article  of  great 
value  could  be  stolen  from  an  exceedingly 
clever  and  wide-awake  woman,  leaving  her 
completely  in  the  dark  as  to  the  thief. 

I  heard  a  number  of  gentlemen  discussing 
the  affair  in  my  master's  smoking-room,  one 
night,  while  I  was  serving  them  with  cham 
pagne,  opened  by  Mr.  Jaffrey  in  payment  of 
some  lost  wager.  Knowing  what  I  did,  I  could 
not  help  laughing  in  my  sleeve  at  the  wild  and 
various  guesses  they  made  as  to  the  solution 
63 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

of  the  mystery.  The  subject  had  been  started 
by  one  of  the  men,  apropos  of  a  sensational 
paragraph  in  the  morning  Report  announcing 
a  fresh  loss  to  Senora  Caprices. 

"Weren't  you  with  her  last  night,  Courty?" 
a  man  asked,  after  many  opinions  had  been 
hazarded  and  demolished. 

Mr.  Jaffrey,  who  had  changed  his  evening 
coat  for  a  lounging-jacket  of  violet  velvet 
turned  out  with  black  satin,  was  leaning  back 
wearily  in  a  deep-seated  Morris  chair.  He 
was  smoking  a  scented  cigarette,  and  had,  up 
to  now,  been  merely  a  listener  to  the  dialogue 
of  the  others. 

He  had  not  seemed  himself  since  reading  a 
note  that  had  been  brought  by  a  liveried  flunky 
while  I  was  dressing  him,  late  that  afternoon. 
I  noticed  that  he  went  very  white  while  reading 
it,  and  he  had  ordered  me  to  substitute  the 
Tuxedo  for  the  claw-hammer  which  I  was  hold 
ing  ready  for  him  to  put  on. 

"I  shall  not  go  out  to-night,  Hanby,"  he 
had  said,  but,  after  a  moment's  consideration, 
had  again  changed  his  mind  and  kept  his  en 
gagement.  He  was  to  dine  with  some  gentle 
men  at  the  Union  League  Club. 

He  now  nodded  his  head  lazily. 

"  Er — yes,"  he  drawled,  as  if  the  subject 
bored  him. 

"  Did  you  notice  that  she  wore  this  particular 
64 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

pin  about  her  ?  You're  such  a  cuss  for  observ 
ing  the  details  of  a  woman's  dress  !" 

Again  my  master  nodded. 

' '  Well,  what  do  you  suppose  became  of  it  ? 
Got  any  theory  ?' ' 

Mr.  Jaffrey  shook  his  head. 

"Well,  it's  damned  queer,"  one  of  the 
other  men  ejaculated. 

"Yes,  a  case  for  Sherlock  Holmes,"  said 
another.  "  I'd  give  considerable  to  know  where 
that  pin  is  :  wouldn't  you  ?" 

The  others  grunted  assent.  My  master 
opened  his  eyes  and  dropped  the  end  of  his 
cigarette  into  a  wrought-iron  cuspidor  which 
stood  beside  him.  Then  he  took  out  a  scented 
handkerchief  and  passed  it  once  or  twice  across 
his  lips  to  dissipate  the  odor  of  tobacco  from 
his  fair  moustache.  Replacing  it  in  his  pocket, 
he  rested  his  elbows  upon  the  cushioned  arms 
of  the  chair,  joined  together  his  immaculate 
finger-tips,  and  then  remarked, — 

"  How-er — how  much  would  you  give,  Billy  ? 
'Considerable'  is  so-er — so  vague,  don't  you 
know  ?' ' 

Mr.  Bettall,  the  man  he  called  "  Billy,"  feel 
ing  that  his  money  was  pretty  safe,  became 
bold. 

"  Oh,  I'd  give  a  hundred  dollars,  easy.  The 
reward  would  cover  that,  you  know." 

"  But-er   if  the   information   could  not   be 

5  65 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

used  to-er — to  secure  the  reward,  don't  you 
know  ?' ' 

"  Then  for  the  mere  satisfaction  of  knowing, 
egad!"  the  other  returned,  and  applied  him 
self  to  his  champagne. 

I  was  at  that  moment  filling  my  master's 
glass,  and  he  took  advantage  of  the  occasion 
to  give  me  a  few  words  of  direction  in  a  low 
voice.  I  left  the  room  to  obey  his  order,  and 
returned  almost  immediately,  holding  in  my 
hand  a  small  pasteboard  jeweller's  box,  which 
I  delivered  to  him. 

The  men  stared.  No  one  thought  he  had 
any  particular  reason  for  questioning  the  sin 
cerity  of  Mr.  Bettall's  offer.  Holding  the  little 
box  in  his  hand,  he  turned  to  the  latter. 

"Billy,"  he  said,  "do  you-er — do  you 
want  to  back  down  ?' ' 

"Not  I,"  returned  Bettall,  stoutly,  although 
the  astonishment  upon  his  dark  little  face  was 
so  profound  as  to  be  almost  comical. 

"Well,  then-er,  gentlemen,  here's  the  pin," 
said  my  master,  rising  languidly  and  lifting  the 
cover  from  the  tiny  box. 

A  general  exclamation  naturally  followed 
upon  the  announcement.  The  men  rose  and 
pressed  around  Mr.  Jaffrey,  curiosity  and  sur 
prise  upon  every  face  and  interrogation  in 
every  eye.  Their  vocal  utterances  were  rather 
too  profane  for  repetition. 
66 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

My  master  handed  the  box  to  Mr.  Bettall, 
who  examined  the  pin  curiously  for  some  mo 
ments  and  then  passed  it  to  another  man,  and 
so  it  went  from  hand  to  hand,  each  gentleman 
in  turn  making  his  comments  upon  it. 

It  was  an  ornament  which  appeared  to  be  of 
great  value,  though  small  in  size  ;  in  shape  a 
star,  of  which  a  very  large  ruby  formed  the 
centre  and  diamonds  of  fair  size  the  points. 

As  it  reached  the  last  man  in  the  group,  he 
took  it  from  the  box  and  held  it  close  to  the 
flame  of  a  lamp  which  burned  upon  a  side 
table.  As  he  replaced  it  in  its  plain  and  un 
worthy  case  Mr.  Jaffrey  addressed  him  : 

"  Well-er,  Bellew,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?' ' 

Mr.  Bellew  laughed  : 

"Oh,  the  diamonds  are  all  right,  I  guess." 

"The  diamonds!"  one  or  two  ejaculated, 
while  others  pressed  my  master  for  an  explana 
tion  of  the  circumstance  of  the  pin  being  in 
his  possession. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  smiled,  showing  his  even,  white 
teeth  beneath  his  moustache. 

' '  Bellew  has  remarked  what  the  pawnbroker, 
at  whose  shop  I  found  it,  had  also— er  dis 
covered  ;  that  the-er  supposed  ruby  is  only  a 
bit  of-er — of  glass.  Eh-er,  Bellew  ?' ' 

Mr.  Bellew,  a  connoisseur  in  gems,  nodded. 

"And   you  found  the  thing ?"   Bettall 

interposed,  eagerly. 

67 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"At — well-er,  I  won't  say  where,  for  the 
lady  who  presides  over  the  establishment  is-er 
exceedingly  solicitous  of  its  reputation,  as  she-er 
does  not  wish  to  be  considered  a  receiver  of-er 
stolen  goods.  She-er  pledged  me  to-er  secrecy 
before  delivering  over  the-er — the  pin  ;  and 
as— er  I  am  going  to  amuse  myself  by  studying 
up  this  case  with  a  view  to-er  finding  the 
Sefiora's  other  jewels,  if,  that  is,  if-er  she 
wants  them  found,  you  understand,  I-er — I  am 
willing  to  preserve  silence  upon  the  point." 

"Then  you  have  some  theory?"  Mr.  Bettall 
repeated. 
•  My  master  again  shook  his  head. 

"  But  you  must  have,  or  you  wouldn't  think 
of  following  up  this  clue,"  the  other  insisted. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  gazed  for  a  moment  at  the  tip 
of  his  varnished  boot,  whose  polished  surface 
was  marred  by  a  little  rift  that  seemed  to  be 
speak  a  crack.  A  pained  expression,  as  of 
one  detected  in  a  misdemeanor,  crossed  his 
face,  and  he  raised  his  eyes  reproachfully  to 
mine,  as  if  he  would  chide  me  for  having 
allowed  him  to  commit  such  an  outrage  upon 
decency  as  to  wear  boots  verging,  in  ever  so 
slight  a  degree,  upon  shabbiness.  It  was  the 
look  of  one  disappointed  in  a  trust,  and  it 
went  straight  to  my  heart.  Then  he  replied 
to  his  friend : 

"  No-er,  Billy,  I  have  no  theory.     You  form 
68 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

a  theory  if  you  are  in  a  condition  of-er  uncer 
tainty  ;  now-er,  I  am  not  in  a  condition  of-er 
uncertainty  as  to  the  person  who-er  has  re 
lieved  Madame  Caprices  of  her  jewels  ;  I  am 
in  a  state  of  positive-er  knowledge.  You-er 
note  the  distinction,  I-er  trust  ?' ' 

A  universal  exclamation  of  astonishment 
followed  upon  this  statement.  The  general 
surprise  was  so  intense  that  no  expressions 
were  found  adequate  to  voice  it,  save  those 
emphasized  by  allusions  to  the  highest  powers 
of  good  and  evil  and  the  places  of  their  en 
thronement.  Indeed,  it  was  evident  that  my 
master  had  aroused  a  high  degree  of  excite 
ment  in  his  guests. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  smiled,  and  yet  his  smile  was 
not  exactly  an  expression  of  mirth  or  amuse 
ment.  There  was  in  it,  to  me  at  least,  a  sort 
of  undercurrent  of  sadness.  Just  how  the 
eagerness  of  his  guests  struck  him  I  do  not 
know,  of  course,  but  as  I  looked  at  their  ani 
mated,  excited  faces  I  could  think  of  nothing 
but  a  pack  of  fox -hounds  who  have  just  got 
the  scent.  They  looked  hungry,  cruel,  and 
alert,  as  if  a  social  malefactor  would  fare  badly 
among  them  if  they  struck  his  trail. 

"  I  cannot  satisfy  your  curiosity,  gentlemen," 

my   master   said,   when   the   babel   of  voices 

ceased.      "  I  wish-er  first  to  unearth  the  rest  of 

the  jewels.     But-er  I  don't  doubt  that  in  good 

69 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

time   the-er  identity  of  the-er — the-er " 

he  hesitated  a  moment  longer  than  usual  over 
the  word,  and  then  continued, — "thief  will 
be-er  disclosed,  and  then  I-er  can  promise 
you  a  sensation.  You  will  be  as  much-er  sur 
prised,  gentlemen,  I-er — I  assure  you,  as  if 
the  perpetrator  turned  out  to  be-er — to  be-er 
— well,  myself,  let  us  say." 

I  looked  at  Mr.  Jaffrey  in  blank  amazement, 
wondering  whether  he  was  drunk  or  crazy  ; 
gone  clean  off  his  head,  I  thought  he  must  be. 
It  is  such  an  easy  thing  to  arouse  suspicion, 
sometimes  a  mere  look  will  do  it ;  and  then  to 
lay  it  again  is  a  mighty  difficult  matter,  I  can 
tell  you,  for  I  have  proved  it  in  my  own  ex 
perience. 

A  look  of  disappointment  settled  on  the  gen 
tlemen' s  faces. 

"Oh,  pshaw,  Courty  !"  said  Mr.  Key  :  "what 
in  thunder  did  you  work  us  up  so  for  ?  I  feel 
like  a  balloon  which  has  been  pricked." 

"And  I,  like  a  damned  inquisitive  female," 
remarked  Mr.  Bettall.  "Say,  Courty,  I'll  be 
hanged  if  I  won't  offer  you  another  hundred 
to  satisfy  our  curiosity." 

But  Mr.  Jaffrey  declined  the  offer.  His  face 
grew  rather  grave,  and  I,  being  behind  the 
scenes,  fancied  (it  may  have  been  merely 
fancy,  I  don't  know)  that  I  saw  a  shade  of 
wistfulness  creep  into  his  blue  eyes. 
70 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"No,  Billy,"  he  said,  with  more  decision 
than  his  drawl  usually  conveyed,  "not  yet; 
you'll  know  all  in-er  good  time."  Then  he 
turned  to  me:  "Here,  Hanby,"  he  ordered, 
"  er-fill  up  the  gentlemen's  glasses." 

I  obeyed,  while  he,  holding  his  own  as  yet 
untasted  glass  in  his  hand,  rose,  standing  a 
tall,  slender,  foppishly  clad  and  yet  distin 
guished-looking  figure  among  his  guests. 

"  Er-fellows,"  he  began,  "the  man  who 
has-er  robbed  Madame  Caprices  of  her  jewels 
is  a  man  whom-er  you  all  know  well.  He  has 
dined  with  you,  er-ridden  with  you,  smoked 
with  you,  and-er  lived  among  you.  He-er  is 
a  member  of  your  clubs  ;  you  have-er  enter 
tained  him  and  he-er  has  entertained  you. 
You  have-er  in  fact  thought  him  a  good  fellow, 
and-er  considered  him  a  friend.  Now,  gentle 
men,  you  are  going  to  be  undeceived  in  your 
estimate  of  him.  You  have  believed  him-er 
an  honest  man,  he  will  be  proved  to  you  a-er 
criminal ;  you  have  considered  him  an  equal, 
he  will  be  proved  to  you  an  inferior  ;  you  have 
thought  him  a  gentleman,  he  will  be  proved  to 
you  a-er — a  cad.  Now-er,  gentlemen,  I  know 
this  man  better  than-er  any  of  you  ;  I  have 
known  him  all  his  life,  and  know  what  a-er 
cursed  up-hill  struggle  his-er — his  youth  was. 
I-er  don't  wish  to  try  to  extenuate  his  guilt  or 
to-er  in  any  way  make  excuses  for  such  damned 
7* 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

double-dealing  as  his.  I-er  abhor  it  as  much 
as-er  any  of  you  can  ;  but  one  thing,  and-er 
one  thing  only,  I  do  want  to  say  in  his  favor, 
and  that  is,  that  this  man,  who  to-morrow  pos 
sibly  may  be  under  the  ban  of  your  scorn, 
and-er  contempt,  who  has  for  ten  years  led  a 
life  of  fraud  and  deceit,  has  never  (I  can  swear 
this,  gentlemen,  for  he  has  opened  his  heart  to 
me,  and  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  his 
statement)  robbed  a  being  who  could  not  well 
afford  to  lose  what  he  has  taken,  and  that  two- 
thirds,  at  least,  of  his  ill-gotten  gains  have  gone 
to  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  destitute.  The 
persons  who  have  suffered  from  his  depreda 
tions  are  persons  who  have-er  no  bowels  of 
compassion  ;  who-er  never  extend  a  helping 
hand  to  the  unfortunate,  and  who  are  amply 
able  to-er  spare  the  amount  which  he  has-er 
— has  appropriated  without  their  permission. 
Yet,  gentlemen,  although  this  social  highway 
man  has  thus  discriminated  in  his  methods,  and 
has,  perhaps,  by  reason  of  his  nefarious  career 
been  able  to  help  many  a  lame  dog  over  a  stile, 
I  do  not  wish  to  imply  that  I  consider  his  course 
anything  but  reprehensible.  It  is  only  that  I, 
feeling  his-er — his  jig  to  be  about  up,  and 
compassionating  the  poor  devil  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart,  would  ask  you  and-er  those  whom 
you  may  be  able  to  influence,  to  be  as  lenient 
in  your  judgment  as  you  can.  I  assure  you 
72 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

this-er — this  unfortunate  man  will  have  enough 
to  bear  without  your-er — your  utter  condemna 
tion." 

He  paused  and  scanned  earnestly  the  faces 
around  him.  Their  expressions  were  similar, 
and  betokened  surprise,  dismay,  and  conster 
nation,  but  scarcely  pity  or  sympathy  for  the 
subject  of  Mr.  Jaffrey's  little  discourse.  In 
deed,  lenient  judgment  concerning  this  social 
Iscariot  could  scarcely  be  expected  from 
them. 

My  master  evidently  shared  my  interpreta 
tion  of  the  common  sentiment  which  possessed 
his  guests,  for  his  own  face,  which  had  softened 
somewhat  under  the  influence  of  his  words, 
suddenly  grew  hard  and  bitter.  He  raised  his 
glass. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "to-morrow  morn 
ing  I  am  going  to  try  to  soften  Madame 
Caprices'  heart.  I  am  going  to  ask  her  to-er 
— to  let  up  on  the  fellow  and  not  expose  him. 
Here's  to  my  good  luck  !  Who  will  join  me 
in  the-er  desire  to  give  this  poor  devil  another 
chance?" 

There  was  a  pause.  Not  a  man  rose  ;  one 
or  two  coughed  and  cleared  their  throats  ner 
vously.  Mr.  Jaffrey  smiled,  with  his  lips  only  ; 
his  eyes  remained  sad  and  bitter. 

"I  must  drink  alone,  then,"  he  said,  and 
placed  the  glass  to  his  lips  ;  but  before  he  had 
73 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

drunk  a  drop  of  its  contents  Gordon  Key  rose 
to  his  feet. 

"Curse  it  all,  Courty  !"  he  exclaimed,  "I 
don't  know  that  any  of  us  care  much  about 
having  a  scoundrelly  thief  at  large  among  us, 
but  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  like  to  sit  here  and  see 
you  the  only  man-jack  of  us  willing  to  give  the 
chap  a  helping  hand.  I'll  drink  with  you  to 
your  success  with  Leila  Caprices,  but  with  the 
understanding  that  if  you  persuade  her  to 
silence  you  give  us  the  name  of  the  man  who 
has  so  successfully  imposed  upon  us  all." 

My  master  again  lowered  his  glass. 

"And  so  socially  boycott  him?"  he  asked. 
"Which  of  you  would  notice  him  or  associate 
with  him  if  I  were  to  reveal  his  identity  ?' ' 

Mr.  Key  pulled  his  very  slight  dark  mous 
tache. 

"It's  a  devilish  uncomfortable  business!" 
he  said,  and  looked  inquiringly  around  upon 
the  other  men,  who  were  conversing  among 
themselves  in  subdued  tones.  Suddenly  Mr. 
Bettall,  who  was  a  bright,  cheery  little  fellow, 
with  a  reputation  for  extreme  good-nature,  and 
who  was  very  fond  of  my  master,  offered  a 
suggestion  : 

"  I  say,  Courty,  you'll  excuse  my  saying  so, 

but  I  think  it  would  have  been  a  hanged  sight 

better,  you  know,  if  you  had  held  your  tongue 

in  this  matter,  as  you  didn't  mean  to  reveal  the 

74 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

fellow's  name.  I  think,  you  know,  that  he 
ought  to  be  expelled  the  clubs,  and  that,  and 
so  do  the  others.  But,  as  long  as  you  are 
determined  to  give  him  another  show  and  we 
can't  help  ourselves,  why,  if  you  can  persuade 
Leila  Caprices  to  keep  mum  on  the  subject,  we 
think  you  ought  to  exact  from  the  man,  who 
ever  he  is,  an  oath  of  reformation." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  nodded.  He  looked  white  and 
tired. 

"  I-er  fancy  Madame  Caprices  will  make 
such  a  promise  a  condition  of  her  silence,"  he 
returned,  with  a  resumption  of  his  old  languid 
manner. 

Mr.  Bettall  rose,  and  the  rest  followed  his 
example. 

"Then,  Courty,  we  will  drink  with  you," 
he  said,  affectionately  ;  "  not  so  much  because 
we  really  approve  your  purpose  and  wish  you 
success  in  it,  as  that  we  are  all  so  fond  of 
you  and  hate  to  oppose  you  in  any  way,  old 
man." 

The  glasses  were  emptied,  all  but  my  mas 
ter's,  though  no  one  save  myself  observed,  so 
marvellous  was  his  sleight  of  hand,  that  the 
contents  of  his  wineglass  were  emptied  into  his 
handkerchief  and  that  dropped  softly  into  the 
iron  cuspidor.  So  curious  were  his  notions  of 
honor  that  I  am  sure,  had  his  life  depended 
upon  his  drinking  that  toast  which  was  really 
75 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

pledged  by  those  men  to  their  affectionate 
regard  for  himself,  it  would  have  been  utterly 
impossible  for  him  to  swallow  a  drop. 

And  a  little  later,  when  his  guests  were  leav 
ing,  as  I  helped  them  on  with  their  top-coats  I 
noticed  that  easily  and  skilfully,  so  naturally 
that  not  one  among  them  suspected  his  motive, 
he  evaded  taking  in  his  the  hands  which  they 
extended  in  farewell.  When  he  returned  from 
seeing  them  into  the  lift  I  noticed  how  white 
and  done-up  he  looked. 

"  Put  out  the  lights  and  go  to  bed,  Hanby," 
he  said,  in  a  hollow  voice  :  "I'll  see  to  myself 
to-night. ' ' 

He  went  into  the  den  and  closed  the  door 
behind  him.  I  cleared  the  dining-room  table, 
put  out  the  lights,  excepting  one  jet  in  the 
drawing-room  and  those  in  Mr.  Jaffrey's  bed 
chamber,  and  then  retired  to  my  own  little  sit 
ting-room,  where,  with  the  door  open  wide,  I 
sat  and  listened  for  sounds  which  should  indi 
cate  that  my  master  was  retiring. 

I  waited  a  long  and  weary  while.  One  struck, 
then  the  half;  two,  and  the  half;  three,  and 
on  the  chime  of  the  half  I  heard  the  sounds 
for  which  I  was  listening.  Slow,  languid  steps 
crossed  the  floor  of  the  drawing-room,  my 
master's  chamber  door  was  softly  opened  (he 
was  very  quiet  and  gentle  always  in  his  move 
ments)  and  as  softly  closed  again,  and  I  knew 
76 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

that  the  coast  was  clear  for  me  to  make  the  in 
vestigations  I  was  bent  on. 

I  wanted  to  discover  the  note  which  had  come 
for  Mr.  Jaffrey  that  afternoon.  I  was  convinced 
that  it  contained  the  clue  to  the  change  which 
had  come  over  him.  I  believed  that  it  was  from 
Edward  Rising's  wife,  and  that  she  held  in  her 
possession  a  terrible  secret  which  threatened 
completely  to  wind  up  my  master's  prosperous 
career. 

Well,  intimidation  is  a  game  that  can  be 
played  by  any  number  of  persons  who  have 
the  wherewithal  to  buy  chips,  and  I  was  pretty 
sure  that  I  held  cards  which  would  knock 
spots  out  of  those  held  by  Madame  Caprices. 
But  I  couldn't  ante  up  until  I  found  that 
letter. 

It  might  be  that  I  was  mistaken  in  its  origin 
and  purport,  and  if  so  the  visit  which  I  medi 
tated  paying  the  lady  was  the  last  thing  in  the 
world  I  should  wish  to  do.  It  was  possible 
that  my  master  had  been  playing  a  simple 
game  of  bluff  that  evening,  and  that  Madame 
Caprices  was  still  in  the  dark  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  man  who  had  robbed  her.  It  might  be 
that  Mr.  Jaffrey  was  menaced  from  other  quar 
ters,  and,  if  so,  to  show  my  hand  to  my  adver 
sary  would  be  of  no  avail,  while  it  would  very 
likely  deprive  me  of  the  opportunity  of  largely 
increasing  my  own  fortune. 
77 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  stole  like  a  cat  through  the  dark  dining- 
room  and  through  the  partially  drawn  portieres 
into  the  drawing-room.  Approaching  my  mas 
ter's  door,  I  stood  a  couple  of  minutes  shrouded 
in  the  draperies,  lest  he  should  suddenly  open 
it  and  discover  me  listening.  I  heard  not  a 
sound  within.  Indeed,  the  silence  seemed 
ominous,  for,  being  as  dainty  as  a  woman 
about  his  toilet,  I  knew  he  could  not  yet  have 
finished  his  preparations  for  the  night. 

As  I  stood  there  in  the  black  darkness  and 
utter  stillness,  there  suddenly  came  to  my  ears 
a  little  phrase,  simple  and  commonplace,  yet 
more  eloquent  than  any  prayer  or  supplication 
I  have  ever  heard — and  I  have  been  to  Meth 
odist  revivals  and  Salvation  Army  meetings  no 
end.  It  was  no  common  exclamation,  but  the 
despairing  cry  of  a  man  in  extremity,  of  a  man 
suffering  not  so  much  for  himself  as  for  one 
dearly  beloved,  for  whose  protection  his  strength 
had  proved  deficient. 

"God  help  her  !"  The  words  came  hoarse 
and  labored  ;  then  a  sound  that  made  my  heart 
stand  still :  a  click,  the  cocking  of  a  revolver. 

I  did  not  hesitate  an  instant.  I  threw  open 
the  door  and  entered  the  room.  He  was  stand 
ing  before  his  toilet-table  in  his  shirt-sleeves. 
As  I  suddenly  appeared  upon  the  threshold  I 
saw  him  drop  his  right  arm  and  lay  something 
(what,  it  was  easy  enough  to  guess)  on  the  table, 
78 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

nervously  throwing  over  it  a  handkerchief  which 
lay  near  by. 

"I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  I  said,  in  my  usual 
quiet  manner,  for  I  have  faced  a  good  many 
emergencies  in  my  life  ;  ' '  you  called  me,  I 
believe  ?" 

He  shook  his  head  ;  even  in  this  great  crisis 
his  courtesy  did  not  desert  him. 

"No,  Hanby,"  he  replied.  "Go  to  bed: 
it's  late." 

"Not  too  late,  sir,  for  me  to  help  you,"  I 
said,  boldly  entering  the  room.  "You  look 
terribly  fagged,  sir  ;  let  me  make  you  comfort 
able  for  the  night. ' ' 

He  gave  a  short,  hollow  laugh. 

"Comfortable  !"  he  ejaculated.  "You're  a 
clever  little  chap,  Hanby,  but  even  you  could 
not  do  that." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I'm  not  so  sure  that  I  couldn't," 
I  returned,  pointedly. 

He  had  fallen  into  a  chair,  as  if  completely 
done  up,  and  had  dropped  his  head  against  the 
cushioned  back  and  closed  his  eyes.  His  face 
looked  like  a  white  mask. 

"  I  say,  Hanby,"  he  said,  quite  ignoring  my 
remark,  "get  me  a  pick-me-up  of  some  sort, 
will  you  ?  A  peg  of  brandy  will  do." 

I  thought  that  possibly  his  wish  was  to  get 
me  out  of  the  way  that  he  might  finish  his 
infernal  business,  but  I  had  no  intention  of 
79 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

leaving  the  room  while  that  ugly  implement 
lay  among  the  silver  furnishings  of  his  toilet, 
like  a  curse  among  compliments. 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  "directly,  sir." 

He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  me 
sharply. 

"Directly,  Hanby !"  he  repeated,  being 
accustomed  to  the  promptest  service  from  me. 
"  And  why  not  at  once  ?' '  frowning  impatiently. 
Then,  regarding  me  more  narrowly,  "What's 
the  matter,  Hanby  ?  You  in  trouble  too  ?' ' 

Now,  I  ask  you,  is  there  one  man  in  a 
thousand  who,  being  in  my  master's  desperate 
strait,  would  have  any  consideration  to  spare 
for  his  servant  ?  But  that  was  Mr.  Jaffrey  all 
over.  No  matter  how  mountainous  his  own 
troubles  were,  they  never  hid  from  his  sight 
the  little  hills  of  difficulty  which  lay  in  the 
paths  of  other  people. 

I  heaved  a  sigh.      "Yes,  sir,"  I  answered. 

"What  is  it?  Anything  I  can  help  you 
about?  If  so,  speak  out,  man." 

"Well,  sir,"  I  returned,  chuckling  to  my 
self  as  I  saw  the  color  beginning  to  return  to 
his  face,  "I  should  very  much  like  your  ad 
vice,  if  it  won't  trouble  you  too  much  to  hear 
a  little  story.  I've  got  a  secret  that  belongs  to 
another  person — other  persons,  I  should  say — 
weighing  heavily  upon  me,  sir,  and  I  don't 
know  just  what  I  ought  to  do  about  it." 
80 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"All  right.  Go  on  :  I  am  listening." 
But  I  don't  really  think  he  was  during  the 
first  part  of  my  story,  the  story  of  my  acquaint 
ance  with  Edward  Rising  and  the  part  I  had 
played  as  witness  to  his  marriage.  His  eyes 
were  closed  again,  and  I  am  sure  his  mind  was 
wandering  to  his  own  affairs.  But  when,  sud 
denly,  I  mentioned  the  name  of  the  woman 
whom  the  young  Englishman  had  married,  I 
saw  him  start  and  open  his  eyes. 

"What's  that  you  say?"  he  asked,  just  as 
one  who  has  been  dozing  during  a  drowsy  ser 
mon  suddenly  awakes  to  an  interesting  point 
in  the  discourse.  "What  had  Miss  Leila 
Goldsborough  to  do  with  the  affair  ?' ' 

"A  good  deal,  sir,"   I  returned.      "She  it 
was  who  married  the  young  fellow." 
"What?" 

There  was  no  doubt  now  that  his  interest 
was  thoroughly  aroused. 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  repeated:  "  I  was  witness  to 
the  business." 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  lady  now  is  ?" 
"Yes,  sir  :  she  is  called  Senora  Caprices." 
"Called  !     She  is  Senora  Caprices." 
"Beg    pardon,    sir;    she   is    Mrs.    Edward 
Rising." 

His   face   was   red,    crimson   now,   and   he 
leaned  forward,  grasping  the  arms  of  his  chair 
and  looking  me  eagerly  in  the  face.     It  was 
6  8l 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

obvious  of  how  much  value  this  information 
was  to  him. 

"See  here,  Hanby,"  he  said,  quickly, 
1 '  this  is  a  grave  charge  you  are  bringing 
against  a  lady  of  Senora  Caprices'  position  : 
do  you  know  it  ?' ' 

I  nodded.  "Bigamy,  sir,"  I  remarked, 
quietly. 

"It's  an  ugly  word,"  he  continued,  "and 
severely  punishable  by  law." 

"So  it  is,  sir.  A  lady  would  sacrifice  a 
good  deal,  all  her  jewels,  I  should  think, 
rather  than  have  it  come  to  light. ' ' 

My  master  gave  a  little  cry  and  rose  from 
his  chair.  His  eyes  shone,  his  face  glowed, 
and  the  contrast  between  his  present  appear 
ance  and  that  he  had  borne  when  I  entered 
the  room  was  as  marked  as  that  between  a 
worn-out  hack  and  a  thoroughbred  race-horse. 

"Good  God,  Hanby!"  he  cried,  "are  you 
sure  of  this — absolutely  ?' ' 

"Absolutely,  sir." 

"You  know  the  man  to  be  living ?" 

"  He  was  a  couple  of  weeks  ago." 

"Then  this — this — why,  this  is  salvation, 
man,  this  secret  of  yours  !  Hanby,  do  you 
know  what  this  is  worth  to  me  ?' '  His  face 
was  all  knotted  up  with  emotion  ;  I  should 
never  have  recognized  it. 

"  I  suspect,  sir." 

82 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

He  plunged  his  hands  into  the  depths  of 
his  pockets,  with  the  involuntary  movement 
of  one  searching  for  money. 

"How  much — how  much  do  you  want  for 
it,  Hanby  ?"  he  cried,  eagerly. 

"  Nothing,  sir." 

His  face  fell.  ' '  Nothing  !  You  will  not 
sell  it?" 

I  shook  my  head.  "No,  sir;  I  will  not 
sell  it." 

"For  the  love  of  God,  Hanby,  sell  it  to 
me  !" 

I  took  a  step  toward  him.  I  fancy  some  of 
the  feeling  I  had  for  him  showed  in  my  face. 

"  For  the  love  of  you,  I  give  it  to  you,  sir," 
I  said,  briefly. 

He  sprang  at  me  and  grasped  me  by  the 
shoulders,  and  we  looked  for  a  moment  full 
into  each  other's  eyes.  I  don't  think  either 
of  us  thought  much  about  talking  for  a  couple 
of  minutes  or  so.  Then  he  dropped  his  hold 
of  me  and  grasped  my  right  hand  in  his. 

"You  have  more  than  saved  my  life, 
Hanby,"  he  said,  simply.  "I  don't  see  why 
you  should  do  it." 

I  made  no  reply,  but  turned  my  back  on 
him  and  pretended  to  busy  myself  about  the 
toilet-table.  Then  I  remembered  his  request 
for  a  peg  and  left  the  room  to  fulfil  it,  first 
slipping  into  my  pocket  the  superfluous  orna- 
83 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

ment  to  his  dressing-table,  which  I  proceeded 
to  uncock  directly  I  was  on  the  other  side  of 
the  door. 

He  was  too  abstracted  to  notice  my  move 
ments  ;  indeed,  he  scarcely  observed  them,  for 
he  had  wandered  over  to  the  fireplace  after 
releasing  me,  and  was  standing,  with  his  hands 
still  in  his  trousers-pockets,  planted  squarely 
upon  the  rug  in  front  of  the  andirons,  gazing 
vacantly  into  the  empty  space  before  him. 

I  was  not  gone  from  the  room  above  ten 
minutes,  but  when  I  returned  with  the  brandy 
I  was  surprised  and  shocked  to  see  that  all  the 
brightness  and  animation  had  again  died  out 
of  his  face. 

"What  is  it,  sir,  if  I  may  be  so  bold  as  to 
ask  ?"  I  inquired,  as  I  offered  him  the  tray. 

He  seized  the  glass  and  drained  it. 

"  I  can't  do  it,  Hanby,"  he  said,  looking  at 
me  with  dull,  miserable  eyes. 

"  Can't  do  what,  sir?" 

"Threaten  a  woman,"  he  replied.  "It's 
too  low  ;  only  a  coward  would  do  that. ' ' 

I  made  a  gesture  of  disgust.  It  was  a 
liberty,  I  know,  but  I  could  not  help  it. 

"  Pshaw,  sir  !"  I  exclaimed.  "  If  a  woman 
threatens  you " 

"  She  has  a  right  to  do  so  ;  I  have  none." 

"The  right  of  morality,  sir,"  I  urged. 

He  smiled  in  spite  of  his  trouble. 
84 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"A  singular  apostle  of  morality,  I,  Hanby. 
No,  no  ;  the  game  is  up.  I've  lost,  and  must 
bear  my  losses  like  a  man,  or,  to  be  consistent 
to  the  last,  cheat  my  creditors  like  a  cowardly 
dude."  He  cast  an  involuntary  glance  toward 
the  dressing-table. 

I  placed  the  little  tray  on  the  chimney-piece 
and  turned  upon  him,  not  in  the  attitude  of 
servant  to  master,  but  in  that  of  man  to 
man. 

"Mr.  Jaffrey,  sir,"  I  said,  "you  shan't 
throw  yourself  and  your  life  away  like  that ; 
there  are  too  many  fond  of  you,  sir,  to  have 
it." 

He  laughed.  "Not  so  many,  Hanby," 
he  returned.  ' '  I  tested  the  feelings  of  my 
most  intimate  friends  pretty  thoroughly,  to 
night.  ' ' 

"  It  was  a  dangerous  thing  to  do,  sir,"  I  said. 
"Why  did  you  do  it ?" 

"To  feel  the  pulse  of  the  market,  Hanby. 
A  popular  stock  has  depreciated  ;  will  its  old 
supporters,  recognizing  some  inherent  value  in 
it,  stand  by  and  inflate  it  again,  or,  forgetting 
their  former  estimate  of  its  qualities,  let  it  drop 
out  of  sight,  its  downward  pace  facilitated  by 
their  unfriendly  attitude  ?  That  was  what  I 
wanted  to  discover,  my  man  ;  and,  'faith,  I 
discovered  it." 

"But  there  are  others,  sir,"  I  urged. 
85 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

He  glanced  quickly  at  me.  ' '  Who  ?' '  he 
asked. 

"  Why — myself,  sir,  for  one,  and-er-er " 

I  hesitated,  not  knowing  just  how  he  would 
take  it,  then  bolted  out,  ' '  and  the  lady  up  at 
Seventy-First  Street,  sir." 

He  drew  a  deep,  quick  breath. 

"God!"  he  exclaimed,  "don't  remind  me 
of  her!" 

"  But  I  will,  sir,"  I  persisted.  "You  have 
a  right  to  consider  her,  sir. ' ' 

He  turned  fiercely  upon  me. 

"Do  you  think,  then,  that  I  haven't  con 
sidered  her?  Humph!" — laughing  sarcasti 
cally  :  ' '  little  you  know  about  it,  after  all, 
Hanby." 

I  saw  that  it  was  folly  to  argue  any  longer 
with  him,  and  an  idea  had  come  into  my  head 
that  I  meant  to  carry  into  effect. 

"  See  here,  sir,"  I  said  ;  "it's  very  late,  and 
we  can  do  no  good  talking  any  more  to-night. 
Let  me  put  you  to  bed,  sir,  and  you  just  go  to 
sleep  and  think  no  more  about  this  matter. 
Leave  it  all  to  me,  sir.  I've  helped  myself 
out  of  worse  scrapes  than  this.  At  all  events, 
it  won't  do  any  good  to  worry  more  to-night. 
Come,  sir,  do  oblige  me,  if  you  please." 

I  think  he  was  really  glad  to  be  taken  in 
hand  and  dictated  to  like  a  child.  He  allowed 
me  to  have  my  way  with  him,  and  I  soon  had 
86 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  comfortably  es 
tablished  in  bed,  and  had  no  doubt  that,  as  he 
was  always  an  excellent  sleeper,  the  reaction 
from  so  much  excitement  would  cause  him  to 
sleep  late  into  the  morning.  At  least  I  hoped 
so,  for  I  had  business  to  do  which,  if  he  waked 
early,  would  hinder  my  assisting  him  with  his 
toilet. 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE  next  morning  about  nine  o'clock  I  pre 
sented  myself  at  the  house  of  Senor  Jose 
Caprices.  I  knew  the  hour  to  be  unfashionably 
early  for  a  gentleman  to  pay  visits  to  a  lady, 
but  then  I  do  not  consider  myself  a  gentleman, 
nor,  indeed,  is  Madame  Caprices  my  notion  of 
a  lady.  Besides  which,  my  business  with  her 
was  urgent,  and  did  not  admit  of  the  con 
sideration  of  etiquette. 

The  flunky  who  came  to  the  door  looked  at 
me  as  if  I  were  a  lunatic  when  I  asked  for  his 
mistress. 

"  Madame  Caprices  won't  be  up  for  two 
hours  yet,"  he  said,  as  if  he  would  like  to  add, 
"Confound  you  fora  fool  to  expect  anything 
else." 

"Won't  she?"  I  returned,  coolly.  "Well, 
just  send  this  card  up  to  her  by  her  maid  and 
see  if  you  haven't  made  a  mistake." 

I  handed  him  a  card.  On  it  I  had  written, 
"Jenkins  Hanby,  late  valet  to  Lord  What' s- 
his-name,"  and  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner, 
88 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Vienna,"  and  the  day  and  year  of  her  mar 
riage  to  Edward  Rising,  followed  by  the  word 
"Immediate"  heavily  underscored. 

The  fellow  hesitated  a  moment  longer,  and 
then  departed,  to  return  shortly  round-eyed 
with  amazement. 

"  Madame  will  see  you  directly.  She  wants 
you  to  come  up  to  her  boudoir."  And  he 
conducted  me  thither,  staring  at  me  the  while 
as  if  trying  to  discover  in  my  appearance  some 
evidence  of  the  magic  which  had  worked  such 
wonderful  compliance  in  his  mistress. 

I  was  not  kept  waiting  long.  Probably  the 
unpretentiousness  of  my  social  position  had 
caused  Madame  Caprices  to  feel  it  unnecessary 
to  make  an  elaborate  toilet ;  then,  too,  I  do 
not  doubt  that  alarm  and  apprehension  had 
made  her  hasten  her  preparations.  At  all 
events,  she  was  decidedly  not  at  her  best 
when  she  presented  herself  to  my  view  at  the 
expiration  of  perhaps  fifteen  minutes. 

She  was  enveloped  in  a  sort  of  loose,  gray 
wrapper  ;  her  hair  was  knotted  into  a  careless 
and  scanty  coil  on  her  neck,  and  she  had  not 
waited  for  her  maid  to  put  those  touches  to  her 
complexion  on  which  her  appearance  was  so 
largely  dependent.  She  looked  sallow,  faded, 
and  decidedly  plain. 

As  she  came  forward  there  was  a  set  and 
determined  expression  about  her  mouth,  in 
89 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

spite  of  an  apparent  nervousness  of  manner, 
that  bespoke  a  resolution  to  deny  and  defy  as 
long  as  possible  all  knowledge  of  the  business 
which  my  significant  card  indicated. 

"You  wished  to  see  me,  I  believe,"  she 
began,  with  an  evident  effort  to  appear  calm 
and  unconcerned  and  to  steady  the  voice  which 
would  shake  a  little  ;  then,  before  I  could  reply, 
I  observed  her  whole  countenance  change  ; 
every  muscle  of  it  relaxed,  and  a  look  of  the 
most  utter  relief  ushered  the  haggard  fear  from 
her  eyes.  "  Why,  you  are  Mr.  Jaffrey's  man, 
are  you  not  ?' ' 

I  saw  that  it  had  occurred  to  her  that  her 
apprehensions  had  been  too  quickly  aroused, 
— that  the  allusion  to  Lord  What's-his-name 
upon  my  card  was  probably  intended  simply 
as  a  reference  of  past  service,  and  that  the 
date  was  merely  a  coincidence.  It  was  scarcely 
to  be  supposed  that  she  would  remember  my 
face,  for  if  she  had  seen  me  at  all  upon  her 
wedding-day  the  chances  were  that  she  had 
not  noted  my  appearance  sufficiently  to  cause 
her  to  recall  it  as  associated  with  that  occasion. 

I  bowed  respectfully. 

"Yes,  madame." 

Her  face  grew  cold  and  hard.  "God  help 
the  poor  devil, ' '  I  thought,  ' '  who  might  seek 
mercy  at  her  hands  !" 

"Your  master  has  taken  a  good  deal  upon 
90 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

himself,  I  should  say,  to  require  my  rising  at 
this  hour  in  the  morning  for  his  own  pur 
poses." 

I  dissembled  a  little.  I  wished  to  learn  just 
how  fully  possessed  she  was  of  my  master's 
unhappy  secret,  and  how  she  had  discovered  it. 

"But,  madame,"  I  remonstrated,  propiti- 
atingly,  "Mr.  Jaffrey's  purposes  are  such 
urgent  ones." 

She  eyed  me  sharply. 

"  You  appear  to  be  in  his  confidence,"  she 
remarked. 

"  He  has  so  far  honored  me,"  I  replied. 

She  laughed  sarcastically. 

"I  am  glad  you  consider  it  an  honor  to 
have  such  secrets  shared  with  you,"  she  re 
marked.  Then,  suddenly,  "You  bring  me  a 
packet  from  him,  perhaps?"  she  asked. 

I  shook  my  head.     "No,  madame." 

Her  face  grew  angry  and  her  voice  shrill. 
She  was  of  the  vixenish  type  of  woman. 

"Why  did  not  your  master  come  himself,  as 
I  directed  him  to  do  ?  This  is  no  matter  for  a 
go-between." 

"He  will  come  later,  madame.  I  came 
simply  to  desire  you  not  to  move  in  the  affair 
until  he  should  see  you." 

"Then  you  have  come  on  a  fool's  errand," 
she  replied,  rather  coarsely.  ' '  Tell  your  mas 
ter,  since  you  share  his  honored  confidence, 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

that  I  allowed  him  twenty-four  hours  in  which 
to  return  my  jewels  and  leave  the  country,  and 
I  do  not  mean  to  extend  the  time  one  instant. 
I  have  taken  precautions  against  his  escaping 
without  my  leave,  and  now,  as  he  has  failed  to 
avail  himself  of  the  opportunity  which  I  offered 
him  of  returning  his  stolen  goods,  I  shall  let 
the  law  have  its  way  with  him. ' ' 

I  looked  at  her  keenly.  I  wondered  if  she 
really  had  any  proof  against  him,  or  if  her  ac 
cusations  were  not  based  wholly  on  mere  sus 
picion.  She  seemed  to  me  to  be  of  too  hasty 
and  violent  a  temperament  to  allow  a  man 
much  leeway  if  she  had  sufficient  evidence  that 
he  had  robbed  her,  and  I  could  reconcile  her 
disposition,  as  I  read  it,  with  her  willingness  to 
temporize  in  this  way,  only  on  the  grounds 
either  of  insufficiency  of  proof  or  of  her  recog 
nition  of  some  hold  my  master  might  have  upon 
her. 

"Pardon  me,  madame,"  I  said,  deprecat- 
ingly,  "  if  I  venture  to  remind  you  that,  unless 
you  can  substantiate  your  charge  against  Mr. 
Jaffrey,  to  accuse  a  man  in  his  position  of  being 
a  common  thief  is  not  only  to  bring  upon  your 
self  the  ridicule  and  denunciation  of  the  general 
public,  but  also  to  make  yourself  liable  for  heavy 
damages  in  a  libel  suit." 

She  raised  her  head  haughtily  and  surveyed 
me  with  disdain. 

92 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Pray,"  she  exclaimed,  "did  your  master 
send  you  to  me  in  the  capacity  of  legal  adviser  ? 
If  not,  allow  me  to  tell  you,  my  good  man, 
that  you  are  taking  unwarrantable  liberties.  I 
do  not  think  better  evidence  against  him  is  re 
quired  than  my  own  oath  that  I  felt  him  take 
the  pin  from  the  breast  of  my  gown,  that  he 
was  with  me  upon  every  occasion  when  I  have 
been  robbed,  and  that  no  other  person  than 
he  has  had  opportunity  to  deprive  me  of  my 
jewels.  Now,"  she  continued,  "you  may  go 
and  tell  your  master  that  he  has  gained  nothing, 
has,  indeed,  merely  strengthened  my  deter 
mination,  by  sending  you  here.  His  reprieve 
will  be  up  at  eleven  o'clock  :  I  allow  him  not 
one  minute's  grace." 

She  was  sweeping  toward  the  bell,  evidently 
meaning  to  ring  and  have  me  shown  out,  when 
I  stopped  her,  courteously,  but  briefly  and  with 
decision. 

"  One  moment,  Mrs.  Rising — oh,  Senora  Ca 
prices,"  I  said,  as  if  hastily  correcting  a  mis 
take  :  "  perhaps  it  has  not  occurred  to  you  that 
certain  crimes  may  invalidate  an  oath.  For  in 
stance,  madame,  the  law  would  scarcely  place 
much  value  upon  the  oath  of  a  person  guilty  of 
murder,  arson,  theft,  or  even — bigamy. ' ' 

She  dropped  her  outstretched  hand,  and  I 
saw  her  shrink  all  together.  Her  back  was  to 
me,  but  I  knew  that  my  bolt  had  been  run 
93 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

home.  I  waited  a  moment  for  her  to  reply, 
but  as  she  did  not  do  so  I  approached  her. 

' '  Shall  we  not  discuss  the  matter  a  little 
further,  madame  ?' '  I  asked,  gently  and  per 
suasively. 

She  flashed  round  a  glance  at  me,  and  I  saw 
how  white  her  face  was. 

"Who  are  you?"  she  asked,  hoarsely. 

"You  had  my  card,  madame,"  I  said,  def 
erentially. 

She  sank  into  a  chair  and  sat  fumbling  with 
the  folds  of  her  dress  and  looking  straight  before 
her  at  the  ground.  Never  a  large  woman,  she 
now  seemed  shrunk  to  half  her  usual  size,  and 
looked  old  and  thin.  All  her  fine  bravado  and 
air  of  consequence  had  faded  away.  I  stood 
silently  and  respectfully  at  a  little  distance, 
waiting  for  her  to  recover  herself. 

In  a  few  moments  she  looked  up  and  spoke, 
after  one  or  two  attempts  to  clear  her  throat. 

' '  Were  you  a  witness  ?' '  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"We  both  thought  you  dead."  It  was  as 
though  she  were  muttering  to  herself.  I  gath 
ered  from  the  plural  pronoun  that  the  two  con 
tracting  parties  had,  later  on,  entered  into  a 
mutual  agreement  of  silence  and  separation. 

I  smiled.  "'Bad  pennies,'  you  know, 
madame." 

Evidently  my  nonchalance  aroused  her  an- 
94 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

ger.  A  flush  darkened  her  pale  skin  and  a 
thrill  of  passion  warmed  her  tones. 

"  It  is  no  jesting  matter,"  she  cried. 

"My  own  thought,  madame.  Serious 
enough,  in  all  conscience." 

There  was  again  a  brief  pause.  Then  Senora 
Caprices  suddenly  rose  and  confronted  me. 
She  had  gathered  together  all  her  energies, 
and  no  general  leading  a  forlorn  hope  ever 
showed  himself  more  resolute  and  undaunted 
than  did  this  slight,  fragile  woman,  menaced 
by  the  threatened  betrayal  of  her  complicity  in 
a  crime  whose  discovery  to  the  world  would 
mean  the  absolute  ruin  and  destruction  of  her 
life.  I  could  not  but  admire  her. 

"How  much  do  you  want?"  she  asked, 
steadily. 

I  looked  at  her  as  if  in  surprise. 

"  How  much  what,  madame?" 

"  Hush-money." 

I  looked  hurt,  aggrieved.  "  Not  a  cent, 
madame. ' ' 

"Then,  what?" 

"I  am  come,  madame,  to  endeavor  to  in 
duce  you  to  follow  one  of  the  great  precepts  of 
morality,  to  persuade  you  to  practise  the  greatest 
law  of  life,  to  beseech  you  to  obey  the  Golden 
Rule.  You  remember  it  ?  Allow  me  to  refresh 
your  memory.  It  is  worded  something  like 
this  :  '  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others 
95 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

do  unto  you.'  My  object  is  a  virtuous  one,  you 
see.  There  can* be  no  suggestion  of  black 
mail  in  seeking  to  make  a  fellow-being  apply  a 
great  moral  law  to  one  of  the  exigencies  of 
life." 

I  think  she  would  have  liked  to  annihilate 
me  for  thus  playing  with  her,  and,  indeed,  I 
am  almost  inclined  to  regret  indulging  the 
feline  instinct  which  made  me  wantonly  torture 
my  victim.  The  mouse  was  such  a  brave  little 
mouse  ;  she  made  no  moan,  but  faced  me 
steadily. 

"You  propose  an  exchange  of  secrets?" 

"Well,  something  of  that  nature,  madame. 
I  would  have  put  it  less  harshly.  I  should 
have  said  we  would  both  practise  forgive 
ness.  You  forgive  my  master,  and  I  forgive 
you." 

"  Which  means  that  I  shall  lose  my  jewels 
forever  ?  Let  him  return  the  jewels,  and  I  will 
hush  the  matter  up." 

I  shook  my  head.  "  It  is  impossible  for  him 
to  do  so  ;  they  are  long  since  disposed  of. 
Better  lose  a  few  jewels  than  everything  else 
in  life  worth  having." 

She  bit  her  lips  and  reflected.     Then, — 

"This  is  to  cover  the  whole  price  of  your 

silence, ' '  she  said  ;  ' '  otherwise  I  will  make  no 

compromise.      I  refuse  to  make  this  the  first 

concession  in  a  blackmailing  game.     I  would 

96 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

rather  sacrifice  everything  now  than  live  a  life 
of  apprehension." 

"  Hm  !"  I  returned,  and  paused  to  consider. 
I  believed  that  what  she  said  she  meant.  She 
was  of  the  calibre  to  prefer  instant  death  to 
prolonged  torture.  But  I  had  not  foreseen  that 
the  salvation  of  my  master  would  entail  such  a 
considerable  sacrifice  of  my  own  hopes.  I 
had  not  thought  that  to  feed  his  tranquillity  I 
must  kill  my  golden  goose.  I  had  anticipated 
presenting  him  with  the  first  egg  she  should 
lay,  expecting  to  nourish  myself  with  many 
subsequent  ones  which  I  should  cause  her  to 
yield.  My  bright  visions  of  future  competence 
would  be  shattered  if  I  clung  to  my  purpose  of 
saving  him.  Was  I  really  so  much  in  his  debt 
as  I  fancied,  or  was  I  merely  the  victim  of  a 
sentimental  mania,  a  sort  of  morbid  disease, 
convalescence  from  which  would  cause  me  to 
regret  acts  of  folly  which  I  had  committed 
during  its  dominion  over  me  ? 

All  of  a  sudden,  while  I  was  reasoning  with 
myself  like  this,  it  seemed  as  if  a  curtain  shut 
out  from  my  sight  the  room  in  which  I  was 
standing,  and  another  scene  rose  in  its  place. 
It  was  not  nearly  as  agreeable  a  vision.  It 

was  a  corridor  in  the  court-house.  I 

could  see  it  distinctly.  I  also  recognized 
plainly  three  figures  standing  in  its  shadow, 
those  of  a  policeman,  a  dude,  and  a  con- 
7  97 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

demned,  disreputable  jail-bird.  A  curious  trio  ! 
For  a  moment  the  drawl  of  a  soft,  languid 
voice  rang  in  my  ears,  and  then  the  vision 
faded  away,  and  I  turned  to  Madame  Caprices. 

"Very  well,"  I  said,  dropping  my  former 
sarcasm  ;  "it  shall  be  as  you  say.  Give  up 
the  idea  of  prosecuting  my  master,  and  you 
shall  be  free  from  any  further  persecution  at 
my  hands." 

"How  can  I  be  sure  of  this?"  she  asked, 
in  a  business-like  tone.  "  There  is  no  way  by 
which  I  can  secure  myself." 

"There  is  a  way,"  I  replied,  after  consid 
ering  a  moment.  ' '  You  give  me  a  paper 
acknowledging  your  marriage  ;  Mr.  Jaffrey 
gives  you  one  acknowledging  his  theft ' ' 

"And  you?"  she  said,  eagerly,  as  I  hesi 
tated. 

"Oh,  I?  Well,  Mr.  Jaffrey  has  a  hold 
upon  me  ;  I  give  him  a  paper  confessing  this. 
It  is  a  sort  of  triangular  security,  you  see. 
Each  one  of  us  is  interested  in  preserving  the 
secret  of  the  other  two.  You  blow  on  Mr. 
Jaffrey,  I  give  you  away,  and  he  gives  me 
away.  If  I  give  you  away,  then  you  give  Mr. 
Jaffrey  away,  and  he  gives  me  away.  If  Mr. 
Jaffrey  blows — but  no,  I  don't  think  we  need 
consider  that :  he's  not  that  sort." 

Madame  Caprices  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 
I  fancy  she  thought  she  had  gotten  out  of  a 
98 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

bad  scrape  pretty  cheap.  Then  she  looked  at 
me  a  little  curiously. 

"You  seem  to  concern  yourself  very  singu 
larly  in  Mr.  Jaffrey's  affairs  : — why  ?" 

"I  told  you:  he  has  a  hold  upon  me,"  I 
replied. 

"He  is  a  very  curious  man,"  she  said. 
"His  is  a  most  peculiar  influence.  I  was  a 
fool  not  to  cause  his  arrest  immediately  I  dis 
covered  that  it  was  he  who  had  robbed  me." 

' '  And  you  did  not,  madame  : — why  ?' '  I 
asked,  echoing  her  query,  for  I  wished  to 
satisfy  my  curiosity  upon  this  point. 

She  had  reseated  herself  now,  and  reaction 
from  her  late  fear  and  uncertainty  had  robbed 
her  face  of  that  withered  look  of  age  it  had 
taken  on  at  the  discovery  of  my  identity.  She 
looked  ten  years  younger,  and  was  apparently 
so  relieved  at  having  laid  the  horrid  spectre 
whose  sudden  appearance  had  so  scared  her, 
that  she  could  regard  unresentfully  the  ogre 
who  had  called  it  up,  and  was  even  willing  to 
converse  upon  friendly  terms  with  him. 

"Why?"  she  repeated,  musingly.  "I  can 
not  say  ;  a  woman's  reason,  I  suppose.  I  liked 
the  man,  couldn't  believe  it  of  him  at  first, 
and  wanted  to  give  him  a  chance  to  return  the 
jewels  and  evade  the  law.  We  women  are 
fools.  And  he,  too,"  she  went  on,  angrily, — 
"  he,  too,  is  a  fool.  Why  didn't  he  return  the 
99 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

things,  as  I  gave  him  the  opportunity  of 
doing?" 

"He  has  disposed  of  them,  madame,"  I 
replied. 

"  Has  he  sold  them  ?" 

"  That  I  cannot  say." 

' '  Oh  !  then  he  does  not  take  you  fully  into 
his  confidence  ?" 

"  No,  madame." 

A  look  of  satisfaction  crossed  her  face,  and 
my  suspicions  were  confirmed  that  my  master 
knew  of  certain  events  in  Madame  Caprices' 
career  which  my  lady  was  not  eager  to  have 
disclosed  to  the  world. 

I  had  given  as  much  time  to  this  interview 
as  I  was  willing  to  spare  from  Mr.  Jaffrey.  I 
knew  not  what  might  be  going  on  at  home, 
and  was  anxious  to  return  thither.  A  dainty 
buhl  desk  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  boudoir, 
amply  provided  with  writing  materials  :  I  made 
a  motion  toward  it,  and  said, — 

"Will  you  permit  me,  madame?" 

She  nodded,  and  I  wrote  out  the  following 
lines  on  a  sheet  of  paper  stamped  with  the 
crest  of  Senor  Jose  Caprices  : 

"I,  Leila  Goldsborough  Rising,  commonly 
known  as  Senora  Caprices,  do  hereby  acknowl 
edge  that  upon  the  eighteenth  day  of  March, 
1 88-,  I  was  married  to  Edward  Rising  in  the 
English  Chapel  of ,  at  Vienna  ;  that  on  the 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

day  of  at  the  church  of  , 

in  the  city  of  New  York,  my  husband  Edward 
Rising  being  still  living,  to  my  absolute  knowl 
edge,  I  did  marry  Senor  Jose  Caprices,  and 
that  I  have  since  lived  with  him  as  his  lawful 
wife.  I  do,  therefore,  herein  confess  to  having 
thereby,  consciously  and  with  premeditation, 
committed  the  crime  of  bigamy,  and  hereto  I 
sign  my  name  in  the  presence  of  the  following 
witnesses." 

I  carrried  the  paper  over  to  her. 

"  Be  pleased  to  read  this,  madame,"  I  said. 

She  glanced  through  it,  set  her  teeth,  and 
handed  it  back  to  me. 

' '  You  will  sign  it,  madame,  and  fill  in  the 
date  of  your  second  marriage  and  the  name  of 
the  church  where  it  took  place." 

She  made  no  reply,  but  rose  and  approached 
the  desk. 

' '  We  shall  require  another  witness  to  your 
signature,  madame." 

She  paused  and  knit  her  brow.     Then, — 

"  I  will  ring  for  my  maid,"  she  replied. 

The  rest  of  the  business  was  quickly  de 
spatched,  and  within  half  an  hour  I  was  back 
again  in  my  own  room,  having  promised 
Madame  Caprices  that  before  night  she  should 
receive  from  my  master  his  acknowledgment  as 
a  guarantee  of  good  faith. 

When,  at  half-after  ten,  I  knocked  at  Mr. 
101 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Jaffrey's  door  and  entered  his  room,  I  found 
that  my  summons  had  waked  him  from  a  sound 
sleep  that,  as  I  anticipated,  had  been  the  result 
of  the  severe  strain  upon  his  overtaxed  nerves. 

"What  the  devil  did  you-er  wake  me  for, 
Hanby  ?' '  he  began,  in  his  usual  languid  drawl. 
.Then,  as  memory  evidently  reasserted  itself,  he 
heaved  a  deep  sigh,  and  added,  in  a  different 
tone,  "  I  wish  to  God  I  could  have  slept  on 
forever. ' ' 

I  approached  the  bed,  and  held  out  the  sheet 
of  paper  to  him. 

"  Beg  pardon  for  disturbing  you,  sir :  I 
couldn't  tell  whether  or  not  you  were  asleep, 
and  so  I  ventured  to  bring  you  an  eye-opener." 

He  ran  through  the  brief  contents  of  the 
paper,  and  his  arm  fell,  as  if  paralyzed,  upon 
the  bed. 

"How  did  you  come  by  this,  Hanby?"  he 
asked,  staring  at  me  as  if  I  were  a  sort  of 
magician.  "  What  does  it  mean  ?" 

"It  means,  sir,"  I  answered,  "that  you  are 
a  free  man  and  have  nothing  more  to  fear  from 
that  lady.  She  will  notify  the  police  that  she 
has  recovered  her  jewels,  and  will  permit  them 
and  the  world  to  believe  that  they  were  never 
really  stolen  from  her,  but  were  pawned  in 
order  that  she  might  raise  a  temporary  loan. 
She  has  had  men  shadowing  you,  sir,  since 
yesterday  morning,  but  they  are  to  be  led  to 
1 02 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

believe  that  her  motive  in  securing  their  ser 
vices  was  purely  that  of  jealousy.  Your  atten 
tions  to  her,  sir,  are  common  property,  you 
know,  and  the  reason  will  seem  a  natural  one 
to  her  spies."  And  then,  seeing  that  I  must 
more  fully  explain  matters  to  him  in  order  that 
he  should  thoroughly  comprehend  his  position 
in  the  affair  as  it  now  stood,  I  quickly  sketched 
to  him  what  I  have  already  related  to  the 
reader. 

When  I  finished,  he  said  nothing  for  a  few 
moments,  but  sat  staring  fixedly  at  the  white 
linen  sheet ;  after  which  he  raised  the  paper 
and  read  it  through  again  slowly,  letting  it  flut 
ter  unheeded  from  his  fingers  to  the  bed  when 
his  inspection  of  it  was  concluded.  Then  he 
placed  his  hands  over  his  face  and  eyes,  as  if 
he  were  seeking,  by  manual  pressure,  to  force 
in  upon  his  brain  the  realization  that  the  hor 
rible  agony  he  had  been  enduring  was  over ; 
that  cold  iron  and  steel  were  no  longer  his  best 
friends  ;  that  he  could  again  go  out  into  the 
world  and  mingle  among  men,  unsuspected 
and  unaccused  by  them.  After  a  little  he 
dropped  his  hands  and  motioned  me  toward 
the  window. 

"Raise  the  blinds,  Hanby,"  he  said,  in  a 
hoarse,  choked  voice. 

I  obeyed,  and  a  flood  of  sunshine  poured 
into  the  room,  making  me  blink  by  its  bright- 
103 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

ness.  Mr.  Jaffrey  sprang  from  his  bed  and 
strode  directly  into  it,  his  whole  person  bathed 
in  its  golden  rays.  With  head  upraised  and 
eager  eyes  fixed  on  the  bright  patch  of  blue 
sky  that  smiled  down  upon  him  he  stood,  his 
arms  slightly  outstretched  after  the  fashion  of 
one  who  welcomes  a  friend  whom  he  has 
thought  never  to  see  again. 

"Sunshine,  real  sunshine  again!"  he  cried 
aloud,  exultantly.  "  And  I  can  look  it  in  the 
face  !  God  !  how  I  dreaded  the  day  !  How  I 
dreaded  it!" 

He  wheeled  suddenly  around  and  caught  me 
by  the  shoulders. 

"  And  it  is  to  you,  you  little  devil  of  a  con 
jurer,  that  I  owe  it  all !"  he  exclaimed,  shaking 
me  to  and  fro  like  a  child,  in  his  excitement. 
' '  Hanby,  the  luckiest  day  in  my  life,  little  as  I 
thought  it  then,  was  the  day  I  was  drawn  on 
that  cursed  jury -list. ' ' 

That  practically  ended  the  affair.  Mr.  Jaffrey 
was  naturally  no  more  demonstrative  than  I, 
and  he  did  not  go  into  any  extravagant  expres 
sions  of  gratitude  to  me,  for  which  I  was  thank 
ful,  as  I  should  have  felt  like  a  fool  if  he  had. 
But  I  knew,  when  his  hands  fell  on  my  shoul 
ders  and  he  looked  into  my  eyes,  just  what  his 
feelings  were,  and  I  must  say  that  from  that 
moment  any  lingering  particle  of  regret  I  might 
have  felt  for  my  lost  pecuniary  advantages  went 
104 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

out  of  mind  forever.  I  felt  fully  repaid  for  my 
sacrifices. 

One  privilege,  however,  I  did  allow  myself 
on  the  strength  of  the  service  I  had  done  my 
master,  and  that  was  to  beg  him  to  be  more 
guarded  in  future  in  his  methods.  This  he 
readily  promised,  quoting,  "'A  burnt  cat 
dreads  the  fire,'  you  know,  Hanby  ;"  but  he 
was  reckless  and  a  dare-devil  by  nature,  and  I 
was  in  constant  dread  of  his  bringing  himself 
again  under  suspicion,  when  I  should  prob 
ably  find  myself  less  well  armed  for  his  de 
fence. 

A1  few  days  after  this  I  was  one  morning 
serving  my  master's  breakfast  when  the  door 
bell  rang.  I  answered  it,  and  admitted  Carolus 
Despard,  the  artist. 

"I'm  in  a  devil  of  a  fix,  Courty,"  he  said, 
as  Mr.  Jaffrey  called  to  him  to  come  into  the 
dining-room.  "No,  I've  breakfasted,  thanks. 
Thought  perhaps  you  could  help  me  out."  He 
spoke  half  inquiringly,  and,  as  my  master 
nodded,  he  went  on,  "You  know  to-night  I'm 
having  that  shindy  in  my  studio — you  got  a 
card  ? — and  this  morning  my  man  came  to  me 
with  pleasant  information  to  the  effect  that  some 
confounded  relative  or  other,  his  wife,  I  guess 
— no,  it  was  one  of  his  children,  or  an  aunt — 
at  any  rate,  something  to  do  with  him,  had 
died,  or  was  sick,  or  something  of  that  sort.  At 
105 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

all  events,  he  wanted  the  day  and  night  off.  I 
tell  you,  Jaffrey,  it's  a  confounded  shame  that 
servants  are  allowed  to — oh,  ahem !" 

I  caught  the  significant  lifting  of  my  master's 
eyebrows  in  my  direction,  although  he  did  not 
think  I  did.  Other  men  might  regard  their 
servants  as  automatons,  as  beings  without  the 
ordinary  organs  of  feeling  ;  not  he. 

"Well,  the  fact  of  the  case  is  this.  The 
fellow  is  too  valuable  to  me  for  me  to  be  able 
to  threaten  him  with  dismissal  if  he  doesn't 
give  up  his  tomfoolery  and  attend  to  his  busi 
ness.  He  is  obstinate  as  a  mule,  and  I've  got 
to  let  him  have  his  way.  Now,  of  course  I 
could  get  in  a  man  from  outside  for  the  night, 
but,  you  see,  the  stuff  in  my  studio  is  too 
valuable  to  be  trusted  to  the  discretion  of  some 
devil  I  don't  know  anything  about.  Now,  I 
thought-er "  he  seemed  to  become  some 
what  embarrassed,  and  perhaps,  by  some 
glance  or  gesture  which  I  did  not  catch,  he 
conveyed  to  my  master  a  suggestion  that  my 
presence  in  the  room  somewhat  impeded  the 
freedom  of  his  utterance,  for  suddenly  Mr. 
Jaffrey  interrupted  him  to  say, — 

"  Er-excuse  me  a  moment,  Despard.  Er-- 
Hanby,  just  go  down,  will  you,  and-er  ask  the 
janitor  what  the  devil's  the  matter  with  the 
steam  this-er  morning.  It's  as  cold  as-er — as 
charity  in  these  rooms." 
ic6 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

By  the  time  I  returned,  the  two  gentlemen 
had  passed  into  the  smoking-room.  Hearing 
me  re-enter,  Mr.  Jaffrey  called  me  thither. 

"Er-Hanby,"  he  said,  "Mr.  Despard  does 
you  the  honor  of-er  requesting  your  services  at 
his— er — his  studio  to-night." 

I  bowed  respectfully,  and  Mr.  Despard 
broke  in  : 

"You  shall  be  well  paid,  Hanby  ;  I'll  see  to 
that.  I'm  awfully  anxious,  you  see,  to  have 
the  thing  go  off  well,  for  I've  got  a  reputation 
for  functions  a  little  out  of  the  common,  and 
the're  are  some  people  coming  to  me  to-night 
that  I'm  unusually  particular  about.  This 
damned  nonsense  of  my — ahem  !  I  know 
what  a  clever  chap  you  are,  and  should  feel 
perfectly  safe  in  placing  the  whole  affair  in 
your  hands.  I  shall  be  really  awfully  obliged 
to  you  if  you'll  come."  He  regarded  me 
anxiously. 

"  Mr.  Despard  pays  your  honesty  a-er  high 
compliment,  Hanby,"  my  master  interposed, 
gravely.  "  It  isn't  every  man  that  he  would-er 
trust  in  his  rooms." 

"No,  that's  so,  Hanby.  There  are  a  good 
many  things  scattered  about  there  to  tempt  a 
dishonest  person  ;  but  any  one  employed  and 
trusted  by  Mr.  Jaffrey  is  sufficiently  vouched 
for." 

I  bowed  again.  Nothing  but  professional 
107 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

propriety  kept  me  from  winking  in  response  to 
the  twinkle  in  my  master's  eye. 

"Very  good,  sir,"  I  replied. 

A  look  of  relief  scattered  the  shadow  from 
Mr.  Despard's  face. 

"Then  you  will  come!"  he  exclaimed. 
"There's  a  good  fellow  !"  And  he  went  off 
into  an  explanation  of  the  duties  he  wished  me 
to  undertake,  a  repetition  of  which  here  would 
be  quite  unnecessary  and  would  add  nothing 
to  the  interest  of  this  story. 

It  took  fully  a  half-hour  for  him  to  explain 
the  arrangements  he  had  made  for  his  guests' 
entertainment,  and  when  he  was  finally  per 
suaded  that  I  thoroughly  comprehended  them 
and  had  made  me  promise  to  present  myself 
at  his  studio  at  an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon, 
he  took  his  leave,  accompanied  by  my  master. 

I  then  busied  myself  in  clearing  the  break 
fast-table  and  in  getting  everything  ready  for 
my  master's  evening  toilet,  for  he  would  be 
obliged  to  dress  himself  that  afternoon  with 
out  my  assistance.  At  one  o'clock  I  had  the 
rooms  quite  in  order,  and  had  laid  out  all  that 
Mr.  Jaffrey  would  require  ready  to  his  hand. 
I  was  just  thinking  about  getting  myself  a 
snatch  of  luncheon  before  setting  out  for  Mr. 
Despard's  studio,  when  the  door-bell  rang. 

A  woman  was  standing  without,  whom  I  at 
once  recognized  as  the  servant  belonging  to 
1 08 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

the  flat  in  Seventy-First  Street.  She  wore  an 
anxious  and  disturbed  look,  and  spoke  imme 
diately  the  door  opened  : 

"  Is  Mr.  Jaffrey  in  ?" 

"No." 

"Not  in  !"  she  exclaimed,  in  surprised  dis 
may.  ' '  I  thought  he  never  went  out  so  early  ?' ' 

"  He  does  not,  generally.  This  morning  he 
had  a  visitor,  and  went  out  with  him  when  he 
left." 

"Dear,  dear!"  she  said.  "What  ever 
shall  I  do  now  !  Miss  Jermyn  made  sure  of 
his  being  here.  You  don't  happen  to  know 
where  he  is  gone,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Most  probably  to  his  club,  I  should  think," 
I  replied. 

"Ts,  ts  !"  she  returned,  shaking  her  head. 
"I  can't  go  there  after  him."  Then  a  sud 
den  brilliant  thought  seemed  to  strike  her. 
"P'r'aps  you'd  go  ;  do,  there's  a  good  soul," 
she  entreated. 

"I  might,  certainly,"  I  returned,  "if  the 
occasion  were  important  enough." 

"Important!"  she  cried.  "Well,  I  guess 
it  is." 

"Out  with  it,  then,"  I  said;  "and  make 
haste  :  I'm  in  a  hurry." 

"  And  so'm  I,"  she  rejoined.  "I've  got  to 
fetch  back  a  doctor  with  me." 

"  A  doctor  !     Is  Miss  Jermyn  ill  ?" 
109 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Miss  Jermyn  !"  she  repeated,  contemptu 
ously.  "No;  worse  than  that:  it's  Mrs. 
Jaffrey." 

"  Mrs.  Jaffrey  !"  I  almost  fell  back  against 
the  door  in  my  surprise.  My  master  was 
married  !  Down  fell  the  hope  I  had  secretly 
formed  that  he  would  catch  some  rich  girl  and 
so  rid  himself  of  the  necessity  of  running  such 
risks  as  those  which  now  gained  him  a  liveli 
hood. 

Apparently  the  woman's  patience  was  com 
ing  to  an  end.  "Yes,  yes,  Mrs.  Jaffrey  her 
self,  man.  Just  tell  your  master  that  she  has 
had  a  sudden  attack,  a  bad  one, — he'll  know 
what  that  means, — and  Miss  Jermyn  wants  he 
should  come  up  right  away." 

She  turned  quickly  and  whisked  off.  I  tried 
to  make  a  grab  at  her  skirts,  but  she  was  down 
the  stairs  in  a  jiffy,  and  I  had  nothing  to  do 
for  it  but  to  go  back,  get  my  hat  and  coat,  and 
start  for  the  Union  Club,  where  at  that  hour  I 
was  pretty  sure  to  find  my  master  ;  and  the  only 
way  I  could  relieve  my  disturbed  feelings  was 
by  muttering  over  and  over  again  to  myself, — 

"Married!  Married!  Married!  What  a 
cursed  piece  of  business  !  What  devil's  luck  ! 
What  short-sighted  folly  !" 

Mr.  Jaffrey  looked  a  bit  nervous  when  he 
came  out  into  the  hall  to  see  what  was  wanted 
of  him. 

no 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Anything  wrong,  Hanby  ?"  he  asked, 
anxiously,  in  a  low  tone,  for  it  was  natural  that 
he  should  associate  me  with  bugaboos. 

' '  I  am  afraid  so,  sir, ' '  I  replied,  watching 
him  narrowly.  "A  messenger  has  come  from 
Miss  Jermyn  to  say  that  Mrs.  Jaffrey  is  very 
ill, — has  one  of  her  attacks,  the  woman  bade 
me  tell  you." 

My  master  went  white  to  the  very  lips. 

"God!"  he  muttered  to  himself;  "and 
they  said  the  next  one  might  be  fatal !"  Then, 
pulling  himself  sharply  together,  ' '  Get  me  a 
cab,  quick,  Hanby." 

He  turned  away  to  fetch  his  hat  and  top-coat, 
and  soon  joined  me  on  the  sidewalk,  where  I 
was  holding  open  the  door  of  the  cab  I  had 
called  for  him. 

As  he  entered  it,  after  giving  the  driver 
the  Seventy-First  Street  address,  he  said  to 
me, — 

"  Make  my  excuses  to  Mr.  Despard,  Hanby. 
Tell  him  important  business  will  probably  pre 
vent  my  coming  to  him  to-night. ' ' 

I  touched  my  hat,  and  the  cab  rolled  away. 
I  should  have  felt  little  appetite  for  luncheon 
if  it  had  not  been  for  that  sinister  ejaculation 
which  I  had  overheard  my  master  mutter  to 
himself:  "They  said  the  next  one  might  be 
fatal  !"  It  was  a  sort  of  verbal  stimulant  that 
braced  me  up  immensely. 
in 


CHAPTER    V 

IT  would  be  absurd  for  me  to  describe  Mr. 
Despard's  studio.  It  is  of  world-wide 
celebrity,  and  whenever  the  papers  run  short 
of  society  copy  they  write  up  a  fresh  description 
of  that  famous  apartment.  It  is  considered 
that  the  visits  of  distinguished  strangers  to 
New  York  are  quite  incomplete  unless  they 
have  included  a  function  held  in  Despard's 
studio.  No  novelty,  be  it  skirt-dancer,  juggler, 
hypnotist,  or  music-hall  artiste,  is  thought  to 
be  fully  endorsed  until  he  or  she  has  been 
asked  to  entertain  a  few  choice  spirits  against 
this  wonderful  background  ;  and,  as  people  are 
very  sure  that  nothing  but  exceptional  talent 
is  ever  engaged  by  Carolus  Despard,  it  rarely 
happens  that  his  invitations  are  declined. 

He  looked  surprised  and  bored  when  I  de 
livered  my  master's  message  to  him. 

"Pshaw!"  he  growled;  "I  particularly 
wanted  Mr.  Jaffrey  to-night.  Is  there  any  way 
of  my  getting  a  message  to  him,  do  you  think, 
Hanby?" 

112 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  reflected  a  moment. 

"If  it  is  really  very  important,  sir,  I  think  I 
could  manage  it." 

"It  is,"  he  replied.  "Do,  there's  a  good 
fellow. ' ' 

He  had  already  whipped  out  his  note-book 
and  was  scribbling  a  few  lines  in  it  in  lead- 
pencil.  Tearing  out  the  sheet,  he  folded  it 
into  a  cocked  hat  and  gave  it  to  me. 

"There,  get  that  to  him  if  you  can;  and 
come  back  at  cnce,  for  I  want  to  show  you 
about  everything.  Look  sharp  now,  won't  you, 
Hanby?" 

I  reassured  him  upon  this  point,  and  hurried 
off.  Once  outside  the  door  I  mastered  the 
contents  of  the  little  note  : 

"  DEAR  JAFFREY, — 

"  Do  come.  I've  gone  to  no  end  of  trouble 
to  capture  Elinor  Burnham,  simply  that  you 
may  meet  her.  You  know  'there's  millions  in 
it,'  and  you  might  as  well  have  them  as  any 
other  man. 

"Yours,  C.  D." 

I  smiled  grimly  to  myself.  What  a  bait  to 
lure  a  man  from  the  death-bed  of  his  wife  ! 
Knowing  what  I  did,  it  seemed  rather  a  cold 
blooded  business  even  to  deliver  the  note  to 
my  master,  for,  although  his  marriage  was  a 
8  113 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

terrible  misfortune  in  my  sight,  I  was  pretty 
sure  that  he  did  not  share  my  sentiments  re 
garding  it,  and  that  his  whole  heart  was  centred 
in  that  unpretentious  little  flat  whither  I  was 
bound. 

The  elevated  railway  soon  brought  me  to  my 
destination,  and  the  same  woman  who  had 
presented  herself  a  few  hours  before  at  Mr. 
Jaffrey's  door  answered  my  soft  knock.  I  did 
not  dare  ring. 

"  How  is  Mrs.  Jaffrey  ?"    I  asked. 

She  shook  her  head  dismally. 

"Very  bad,"  she  said. 

' '  I  have  a  note  for  my  master :  can  I  see 
him  ?' ' 

"Better  give  it  to  me  :  he  won't  leave  her 
for  a  minute." 

But  this  I  did  not  intend  to  do.  The  note 
was  unsealed,  and  I  thought  it  best  not  to  send 
it  through  other  hands. 

"Go  and  ask  him  to  step  here  a  moment. 
Tell  him  I  won't  detain  him  longer,"  I  insisted. 

She  departed,  leaving  me  standing  on  the 
threshold,  and  in  another  moment  my  master  ap 
peared,  looking  desperately  wan  and  troubled. 

"What  is  it,  Hanby?"  he  asked,  impa 
tiently. 

"A  note,  sir,  from  Mr.  Despard." 

He  glanced  quickly  through  it. 

"  D — tion  !"  he  cried,  tearing  it  into  a  thou« 
114 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

sand  bits.  "Confound  Miss  Burnham  and 
everybody  else  !  Go  back,  Hanby,  and  tell 
Mr.  Despard  that  if  he  brought  down  an  angel 
from  Paradise  robed  in  white,  I  wouldn't  even 
so  much  as  look  at  her.  Tell  him  that  there  is 
a  woman  here  whose  life  is  hanging  by  a 
thread,  for  whom  I  care  more  than  for  all  the 
other  women  in  the  world  combined.  No, 
stay, ' '  he  added,  the  excitement  of  overwrought 
feeling  dying  out  of  his  face  as  he  passed  his 
hand  wearily  over  his  brow:  "I'm  talking 
wild.  Just  say  to  Mr.  Despard,  will  you, 
Hanby,  that  it  will  be  absolutely  impossible  for 
me  to  be  with  him  this  evening.  You  need 
give  no  reason,  you  understand.  Just  make 
my  regrets  in  proper  form." 

I  bowed,  and  he  made  a  gesture  of  dismissal. 
I  returned  immediately  and  delivered  his  mes 
sage  to  Mr.  Despard,  who  fretted  a  good  hour 
over  the  miscarriage  of  his  plans. 

The  attraction  which  Mr.  Despard  was  offer 
ing  his  friends  that  night  took  the  form  of  a  very 
renowned  and  wonderful  medium,  whose  re 
markable  powers  had  gained  the  attention  of 
distinguished  scientists  in  two  worlds.  It  was 
a  matter  of  great  difficulty  to  secure  her  ser 
vices  even  by  payment  of  a  sum  considered 
extortionate  and  outrageous  by  many  persons, 
but  which  she  had  no  difficulty  in  securing 
whenever  she  was  willing  and  able  to  employ 
"5 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

her  peculiar  gift  ;  for  the  testimonials  as  to  her 
extraordinary  abilities,  conferred  by  men  of  the 
highest  standing,  had  caused  her  to  be  greatly 
sought  after  by  the  curious  and  those  interested 
in  psychical  research. 

Mrs.  Deane  was  a  woman  of  good  birth, 
respectable  position,  and  fair  education.  She 
was  modest  and  retiring  in  her  public  capacity, 
and  averse  to  exhibiting  her  powers  in  a  general 
way.  It  had  only  been  through  the  intervention 
of  an  intimate  friend,  who  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  American  Psychical  Society, 
that  Mr.  Despard  had  been  able  to  induce  her 
to  appear  for  his  friends. 

These  facts  concerning  her  I  gained  from 
scraps  of  conversation  overheard  during  the 
evening.  A  little  before  ten  the  guests  began 
to  arrive. 

The  first  persons  I  admitted  were  Mrs. 
Munyon  Pyle  and  the  Duchess  of  Clayborough. 
Both  ladies  recognized  me  at  once,  and,  as 
they  had  never  placed  any  faith  in  the  accu 
sation  brought  against  me  by  the  officer,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  had  expressed  themselves  as 
valuing  highly  my  exertions  in  their  behalf 
upon  the  occasion  of  the  accident,  they  were 
pleased  to  bestow  a  very  kindly,  though  some 
what  surprised,  greeting  upon  me. 

"You  here,  Hanby  !"  her  grace  remarked. 
"  Not  left  Mr.  Jaffrey,  I  hope  ?" 
116 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Mr.  Despard  explaimed  the  situation,  and 
the  ladies  smiled  comprehendingly. 

' '  What !  the  first  upon  the  scene  !' '  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Pyle,  as,  disencumbered  of  their  wraps, 
the  ladies  passed  into  the  studio.  "  The  blame 
of  our  early  arrival  be  upon  your  own  head, 
Mr.  Despard  ;  you  begged  it,  remember." 

' '  And  I  am  grateful  for  it.  Mrs.  Deane 
cannot  be  prevailed  upon  to  give  us  more  than 
half  an  hour,  and  absolutely  refuses  to  allow 
fresh  admissions  during  the  seance.  She  is  an 
autocrat,  you  know,  and  those  who  are  not  here 
at  ten  must  be  content  to  sit  without  the  gate. 
Ah,  Mrs.  Leyland,  so  good  of  you  to  come  ; 
and  you,  Miss  Burnham  !  But  I  am  disap 
pointed,  for  I  promised  to  show  you  our  dude 
par  excellence,  and,  do  you  know,  the  wretch 
has  failed  me." 

The  two  ladies  whom  he  was  welcoming 
were,  I  learned  later,  aunt  and  niece,  lately 
returned  from  Germany,  where  the  education 
of  the  latter  had  been  undergoing  a  finishing 
process.  Her  return  to  New  York  had  been 
somewhat  eagerly  anticipated,  for,  being  an 
only  child  and  an  orphan,  all  the  Burnham 
millions  had  passed  into  her  possession  upon 
the  completion  of  her  twenty-first  year. 

And  yet,  to  look  at  her,  no  one  would  for  a 
moment  have  accredited  her  with  the  com 
mand  of  such  wealth.  Of  all  the  women  who 
117 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

assembled  in  Mr.  Despard's  studio  that  night 
she  was  the  simplest  in  attire,  manner,  and 
bearing.  But  for  the  attention  paid  her  by  the 
women,  and  the  deference  by  the  men,  I  might 
have  believed  that  I  had  made  a  mistake  in 
supposing  her  to  be  the  Miss  Burnham'of  whom 
I  had  heard  and  read  so  much. 

She  was  a  tall,  beautifully  formed  girl,  with  a 
small  head  and  gracious,  unaffected  carriage. 
Her  dark  hair  was  divided  by  a  long  straight 
part  that  made  a  white  line  from  her  low  brow 
back  to  where  the  waving  hair  was  gathered 
into  a  knot  upon  the  crown  of  the  head.  Her 
eyes  were  very  dark  blue,  and  her  skin  was 
fresh  and  fair.  She  wore  a  gown  of  some  white 
material  that  looked  very  simple  and  inexpen 
sive,  though  I  dare  say  it  cost  enough,  and  was 
without  a  jewel  of  any  sort. 

I  don't  know  that  she  was  considered  beauti 
ful  in  any  degree, — I  had  never  seen  a  descrip 
tion  of  her  personal  charms  in  the  papers  which 
eulogized  her  monetary  attractions, — but  I  think 
there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  her  win 
ning  almost  any  man  she  cared  to,  even  if  she 
had  been  totally  without  fortune.  There  was  a 
singular  charm  and  loveliness  about  her  which 
even  extended  to  me,  a  mere  flunky,  as  I 
opened  the  door.  Someway,  the  little  smile 
that  lay  about  the  corners  of  her  sweet  mouth 
and  in  her  blue  eyes,  as  her  glance  rested  for 
118 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

an  instant  upon  me,  quite  warmed  the  cockles 
of  my  heart. 

Mr.  Despard's  guests  were  unanimous  in 
obedience  to  his  request  that  ten  o'clock  should 
see  them  all  assembled.  On  the  stroke  of  the 
hour  I  opened  the  door  to  admit  the  strangely 
gifted  woman  whose  occult  powers  were  to 
furnish  the  evening's  entertainment. 

Mr.  Despard  received  her  with  marked  cour 
tesy,  and  at  once  conducted  her  into  the  mag 
nificent  studio  which  was  to  be  the  scene  of  her 
performance.  There  were  perhaps  eighteen 
persons  gathered  there,  and  even  the  most 
blase  face  among  them  showed  a  gleam  of  real 
interest  and  expectation  as  this  purveyor  of  a 
fresh  sensation  entered  the  room. 

She  was  a  woman  some  inches  above  medium 
height,  with  what  is  called  a  good  figure,  rather 
broad  shoulders,  and  a  small  waist.  Her  face 
was  almost  beautiful,  the  features  regular  though 
rather  largely  moulded,  the  complexion  very 
pure  and  colorless,  the  forehead  high  and 
somewhat  shaded  by  a  slightly  waved  bang  of 
thick  blond  hair,  the  rest  of  which  was  drawn 
back  with  no  regard  to  fashion  and  wound 
around  her  head  loosely. 

Except  for  the  eyes,  there  was  nothing  in  the 
least  remarkable  about  her.  These  were  of 
a  light  hazel,  and  had  a  curious,  distant,  far 
away  look  in  them  that  gave  rather  an  unusual 
119 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

expression  to  her  face.  Her  manner  was  free 
from  pretension,  and  was  self-possessed,  sim 
ple,  and  dignified ;  she  responded  to  Mr. 
Despard's  slight  general  introduction  calmly 
and  easily. 

' '  I  would  like  less  light,  if  you  please, ' '  she 
replied,  in  answer  to  his  question  as  to  what 
difference  she  would  suggest  in  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  room.  "Then,  if  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  will  come  a  little  closer  together, — 
not  to  form  a  circle  ;  no,  I  do  not  require  any 
joining  of  finger-tips,  or  anything  of  that  sort," 
with  a  little  amused  smile,  as  a  general  move 
suggestive  of  such  an  idea  was  being  made  ; 
"  only  to  come  rather  more  within  the  compass 
of  my  voice.  That  is  very  nice  indeed,  thank 
you.  You  have  insured  me  against  interrup 
tion,  sir  ?' ' 

Mr.  Despard  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and, 
to  reassure  her,  repeated  to  me,  in  her  hearing, 
his  injunction  against  any  one  being  allowed 
to  enter  the  studio  until  the  sitting  should  be 
concluded. 

I  had,  according  to  his  order,  lowered  the 
lamps  until  a  light  prevailed  sufficient  for  the 
identification  of  the  various  faces,  but  not  by 
any  means  brilliant.  The  guests  sat  grouped 
together  at  one  end  of  the  apartment,  and  in 
their  midst  the  medium  took  her  seat. 

"You  need  not  be  frightened,  ladies  and 
1 20 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

gentlemen,"  she  said,  in  a  clear,  matter-of-fact 
tone,  "at  any  physical  contortions  I  may  in 
dulge  in  while  going  into  the  trance-state,  or  in 
coming  out  from  it.  They  tell  me  I  do  very 
queer  things,  but,  as  I  am  quite  unconscious  of 
them,  they  do  not  trouble  me,  nor  need  they 
alarm  you.  If,  when  I  am  in  the  trance,  the 
old  doctor  who  controls  me  addresses  any  of 
you,  be  so  good  as  to  reply  to  him,  for" — she 
smiled  again — "I  am  told  he  did  not  leave  a 
very  quick  temper  behind  him  when  he  went 
out.  It  would  help  me  if  one  of  you  would 
allow  me  to  hold  your  hands."  She  glanced 
quickly  over  the  group,  and  her  eyes  lighted 
upon  Miss  Burnham,  who  was  placed  near  her. 
"  Would  you  be  willing  ?"  she  asked,  address 
ing  her.  "  You  will  not  mind  if  I  twist  them  a 
little  ?  I  shall  not  really  hurt  you." 

The  girl  responded  with  an  inclination  of  her 
head,  and  her  chair  was  moved  a  little  nearer 
Mrs.  Deane's. 

All  the  doors  leading  into  the  studio  had 
been  closed,  but,  as  the  only  means  of  shutting 
off  the  dining-room  was  by  portieres,  these  had 
been  simply  drawn  together,  and  by  stationing 
myself  at  their  juncture  it  was  easy  for  me  to 
see  and  hear  what  was  going  on. 

The  stillness  of  the  studio  was  absolute.  I 
am  sure  the  little  group  of  men  and  women 
must  have  been  able  to  count  each  other's 

121 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

heart-beats.  The  medium  sat  in  a  chair  of 
carved  teak-wood,  her  body  bent  a  little  for 
ward,  her  elbows  resting  on  her  knees,  and 
both  hands  closed  over  the  slender  palms  of 
the  girl  who  sat  in  a  low  seat  directly  facing 
her.  There  was  a  breathless  look  of  expecta 
tion  on  every  face. 

A  moment  or  two  the  medium  breathed 
evenly  and  regularly,  like  a  person  going  to 
sleep  ;  then  the  breaths  grew  more  labored  and 
seemed  to  come  from  the  deepest  recesses  of 
the  lungs,  being  accompanied  by  little  groans 
and  cries,  half-articulated  phrases,  and  incipient 
indications  of  alarm  which  never  developed 
into  actual  screams,  but  seemed  to  hint  at  fear, 
terror,  and  suffering.  The  face  grew  convulsed, 
the  muscles  twitched,  the  strong  white  teeth — • 
which  I  had  remarked  as  being  quite  a  feature 
of  her  face — snapped  violently  together  and 
were  ground  and  gritted  so  harshly  that  it 
seemed  as  if  their  enamel  covering  must  yield 
to  such  compression. 

The  broad  shoulders  of  the  woman  worked 
back  and  forth,  the  bust  rose  and  fell  beneath 
the  stertorous  breathing,  the  arms  were  raised 
before  the  face  with  the  gesture  of  one  seeking 
to  ward  off  an  attack,  while  the  hands  which 
grasped  Miss  Burnham's  slim  fingers  turned 
and  twisted  their  unresisting  prisoners,  tight 
ened  and  loosened  their  pressure  upon  them, 
122 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

and  seemed  to  be  putting  them  to  such  vio 
lent  usage  that  Mr.  Merton  Harley,  whom  I 
afterward  discovered  to  be  very  consider 
ably  interested  in  the  heiress,  ventured  to  ex 
postulate  with  Miss  Burnham  in  a  low  tone 
for  allowing  the  medium  to  retain  possession  of 
them. 

I  could  not  hear  what  he  said,  but  I  could 
see  the  girl  negative  his  remonstrance  with  a 
decided  shake  of  her  dark  head.  It  was  ap 
parent  that,  having  consented  to  face  an  ordeal, 
she  would  not  readily  withdraw  from  it. 

Suddenly,  when  the  strain  of  excited  feeling 
was  growing  so  great  among  all  who  watched 
the  convulsed  figure  that  even  I  forgot  myself 
to  the  extent  of  thrusting  my  head  through  the 
portieres  in  order  to  gain  a  better  view  of  the 
strange  performance,  all  muscular  contortion 
ceased.  Abruptly,  there  fell  upon  that  alarm 
ing  and  extraordinary  state  of  agitation  a  won 
derful  and  all-pervading  calm,  that  was  so  great 
a  contrast  to  the  condition  which  had  just  been 
harrowing  our  nerves  to  their  utmost  limit  that 
involuntarily  a  sigh  of  relief  escaped  from 
every  breast. 

The  face  grew  placid  and  smooth  ;  scarcely 
a  breath  seemed  to  mar  the  repose  of  the  quiet 
bosom  ;  the  arms,  hitherto  held  on  a  level  with 
the  eyes,  were  permitted  to  drop  again  into  the 
lap  ;  while  the  hands,  relaxing  their  grip  of 
123 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

those  which  lay  within  their  clasp,  now  simply 
held  the  latter  in  a  gentle  pressure. 

I  quickly  withdrew  my  head,  fearing  detec 
tion,  but  at  the  sound  of  a  strange  voice  within 
the  studio  I  could  not  forbear  again  peeping  in 
to  see  who  the  speaker  might  be.  To  my 
amazement,  the  lips  which  were  in  motion  were 
those  of  Mrs.  Deane,  but  the  voice — that  was 
no  more  like  the  soft  womanish  voice  of  the 
medium  than  a  bass-viol  is  like  a  violin.  It  was 
the  voice  of  a  man,  deep,  rather  gruff,  and 
masculine  in  every  tone  and  accent. 

"  How  do  you  do,  eh  ?"  he  began  (for  while 
the  woman  was  in  that  curious  condition  which 
she  called  the  trance-state  it  was  simply  impos 
sible  to  apply  feminine  pronouns  to  her  :  one 
never  thought  of  the  personality  which  con 
ducted  the  conversation  as  other  than  mas 
culine). 

He  addressed  several  members  of  the  group 
by  name,  using  a  curious  idiom  which  was  half 
French  and  half  English,  suggested  to  them 
that  friends  who  had  died  were  standing  near 
wishing  to  communicate  with  them,  and,  in 
response  to  requests  for  messages  from  these 
departed  ones,  delivered  a  number  which  were 
pronounced  by  the  recipients  [to  be  most  ex 
traordinary  tests  of  a  supernatural  agency. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  go  into  a  detailed 
account  of  a  seance  which,  remarkable  as  it 
124 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

seemed  to  the  novices  assembled  that  evening 
in  Mr.  Despard's  studio,  has  doubtless  been 
matched  in  marvels  many  times  within  the  ex 
perience  of  those  who  read  this  story.  Only 
those  portions  bearing  upon  my  narrative  will  I 
relate,  and  those  briefly. 

After  Mrs.  Deane  had  satisfied  the  impor 
tunities  of  the  most  forward  and  self-assertive 
of  her  audience  there  was  a  moment's  interval 
which  no  one  claimed.  Of  this  the  presumed 
spirit,  which  professed  to  be  that  of  a  deceased 
French  physician,  Dr.  Jaret  by  name,  himself 
took  advantage. 

He  suddenly  addressed  the  girl  whose  hands 
still  lay  within  Mrs.  Deane' s  clasp,  and  who 
had,  as  yet,  uttered  no  word,  but  had  sat  won- 
deringly  gazing  into  the  face  before  her, — a 
face  from  which  the  hair  had  been  nervously 
pushed  back  by  one  of  the  medium's  hands, 
and  which,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  appeared 
to  have  changed  its  soft,  feminine  contours  and 
to  have  grown  strong,  forceful,  manly. 

"You  have  had  a  beautiful  life,  my  dear," 
he  said,  modulatmg  his  voice  almost  caressingly 
as  he  saluted  her. 

Miss  Burnham  did  not  reply,  but  still  con 
tinued  to  gaze  with  awe-struck  eyes  upon  the 
closed  lids  of  the  face  she  confronted. 

"I  mean,"  the  voice  continued,  "a  beauti 
ful  spiritual  life,  vous  comprenes,  line  belle  vie 
125 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

dc  r ame.  Ah  !  vraiment,  it  is  a  lovely,  a 
truly  pure  soul,  this."  And  the  hand  that  held 
hers  patted  it  tenderly.  There  was  a  moment's 
pause,  of  which  Mrs.  Munyon  Pyle  endeavored 
to  take  advantage,  but  was  restrained  by  Mr. 
Harley. 

"Let  him  finish  with  Miss  Burnham,"  I 
heard  him  whisper. 

Just  then  there  came  to  my  ears  the  sound 
of  footsteps  mounting  the  staircase  leading  to 
the  apartment.  Thinking  that  the  noise  of  the 
bell  might  penetrate  to  the  studio  and  disturb 
the  seance,  I  hastened  to  forestall  its  ringing, 
and,  on  throwing  open  the  door,  was  amazed 
to  see  my  master  standing  before  me. 

"Ah-er,  Hanby,  I  got  here,  after  all,"  he 
began. 

I  laid  my  finger  on  my  lips. 

"They  are  at  it,  sir,"  I  said,  warningly. 
"And  any  noise  was  to  be  prevented,  Mr. 
Despard  said." 

"At  it?  At  what,  er-Hanby  ?  Ah-er,  yes, 
I  remember ;  spooks.  Well,  how  are  they 
getting  on  ?" 

"  It's  really  quite  wonderful,  sir,"  I  replied, 
divesting  him  of  his  top-coat.  Then,  "How 
is  Mrs.  Jaffrey,  sir,  if  I  may  make  bold  to 
ask?" 

"Better,    better,     Hanby;    herself    again, 
thank   God !"    he   answered,   cheerfully,    and 
126 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

was  about  to  pass  on  and  into  the  studio,  but 
I  intercepted  him.  "What!  no  admittance, 
Hanby?" 

"That was  Mr.  Despard's  order,  sir  ;  accord 
ing  to  the  medium's  wish." 

"Ah-er,  well,  that's  all  right.  Anywhere  I 
can  smoke  a  cigarette  while  I-er  am  waiting  ?" 

Instead  of  replying  to  his  question,  I  told 
him  of  the  loop-hole  through  which  he  could 
watch  the  curious  proceedings  going  on  within 
the  studio,  and  gave  such  a  glowing  account 
of  them  that  I  aroused  his  curiosity  to  witness 
them  for  himself.  I  placed  him  at  my  former 
post,  and  stationed  myself  between  the  door- 
casing  and  the  edge  of  the  portiere. 

It  seemed  that  the  old  doctor  had  during  my 
absence  finished  whatever  he  had  to  say  to 
Miss  Burnham,  for  on  my  return  I  found  that 
Mrs.  Munyon  Pyle  had  succeeded  in  making 
herself  heard,  and  it  was  she  who  now  had  the 
floor. 

"  I  was  going  to  ask,  Dr.  Jaret,"  she  was 
saying,  "if  you  have  any  power  of  discovering 
the  whereabouts  of  stolen  or  lost  goods." 

The  medium's  forehead  contracted  into  a 
frown. 

"  It  is,  what  you  call,  frivolous,  such  work," 
he  objected. 

"Yes,  I  know,  but,"  Mrs.  Pyle  continued, 
persistently,  "you  see  I  feel  so  awfully 
127 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

responsible,  don't  you  know  ?  The  duchess 
here "  The  doctor  interruped  her. 

"Si,  si,  I  know,"  he  said,  and  held  out  one 
hand  to  her  grace,  retaining  his  grasp  upon 
Miss  Burnham's  with  the  other.  ' '  Your  hand, 
madame,  s'il  vous  plait.  Ah  !  so  !"  He  took 
the  jewelled  hand  extended  to  him  by  the 
Duchess  of  Clayborough,  and  placed  it  firmly 
against  the  medium's  brow. 

"  Hm  !  hm  !"  he  muttered  to  himself,  his 
head  bent  as  if  in  deep  abstraction.  Suddenly 
he  raised  Miss  Burnham's  hand  and  pressed  it 
also  to  his  brow. 

There  was  perfect  silence  in  the  room ; 
anticipation  was  in  every  glance.  After  a 
moment  or  two,  this  singular  personality  with 
drew  the  two  hands  from  Mrs.  Deane's  fore 
head,  and  with  very  real  perplexity  in  his  voice 
said,  slowly, — 

"It  is  verry — curious.  I  see  a  connection 
here,  mats  a  connection  of  the  past  et  du  fiitur. 
I  see  through  your  beautiful  hand,  madame, 
une  riviere  of  glittering  stones,  des  bijoux, 
vous  comprenez,  ires  recherches  et  de  prix. 
Also  I  see  through  these  little  fingers,  mademoi 
selle,  une  riviere  of  glittering  drops,  mais,  helas  ! 
line  riviere  de  larmes,  of  tears,  you  understand, 
mademoiselle.  And"  —  he  frowned  heavily, 
almost  angrily — "between  ces  rivieres  there 
stands  a  man,  I  see  him  very  plain,  tin  hominc 
128 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

ires  comme  il 'fattt,  blond,  grand,  de  bonne  mine, 
— not  a  man  that  you  call  a  common  thief,  but 
a  man  (res distingue,  you  understand?  He  is" 
— he  paused  a  moment — "he  is  here  now, — 
right  here  in  this  apartment.  I  see  him." 

And  so  did  I.  I  was  looking  directly  at  him, 
and  saw  him  start  at  the  old  man's  words. 

The  little  audience  cast  looks  of  consterna 
tion  and  surprise  at  each  other.  There  was 
only  one  man  among  them  who  answered  to 
the  medium's  description  :  this  was  Mr.  Merton 
Harley.  They  could  not  see  and  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  figure  at  which  I  was  gazing, 
the  figure  of  my  master  standing  half  within, 
half  without  the  room,  between  the  folds  of  the 
portieres. 

It  was  not  strange  that,  being  the  only  man 
present  who  could  possibly  be  identified  with 
the  medium's  words,  Mr.  Harley  somewhat 
resented  them.  He  grew  quite  red  and  con 
fused,  and,  as  the  voice  ceased  speaking,  burst 
out  rather  hotly, — 

1 '  By  Jove,  monsieur,  this  is  a  little  rough  on 
me,  I  think  !  It  may  seem  somewhat  conceited 
for  me  to  apply  the  whole  of  your  compli 
mentary  description  to  myself,  but  I  happen  to 
be  the  only  tall,  fair  man  in  the  room,  you  see, 
and  a  fellow  rather  dislikes  hearing  himself 
identified  as  a  thief  and  the  destroyer  of  Miss 
Burnham's  peace  of  mind." 
9  129 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

He  gave  a  short,  embarrassed  laugh  as  he 
concluded  ;  apparently  he  was  rather  ashamed 
to  let  his  companions  think  the  words  of  a 
charlatan  had  power  to  move  him. 

Before  the  medium  could  reply,  Mrs.  Mun- 
yon  Pyle  and  the  duchess,  each  believing  the 
question  she  desired  to  put  the  most  important 
to  the  subject  in  hand,  chimed  in  together. 
At  the  same  moment  an  old  Delft  clock  in  the 
corner  of  the  room  struck  the  half-hour. 

The  doctor's  voice  at  once  interrupted  the 
clamor.  "The  seance  is  over,  mesdames  et 
messieurs, ' '  he  said.  ' '  My  medium  is  not 
strong  ;  il  faut  partir.  Je  vous  salue, — I  wish 
you  adieu, — et  vous,  mademoiselle,  je  suis  tres 

• "  the  articulation  was  unintelligible,  the 

voice  grew  weak  and  faint. 

I  hurriedly  approached  my  master. 

"Quick,  sir,"  I  said;  "you  must  get  out 
of  this  ;  you  must,  indeed.  It  would  never 
do  for  you  to  be  seen  here,  after  that.  Re 
member,  it  was  in  your  apartment  that  the 
duchess  last  saw  her  diamonds  ;  you  fully  cor 
respond  to  the  old  man's  description  ;  you 
have  confessed  to  several  gentlemen  that  you 
know  who  stole  Madame  Caprices'  jewels — 
indeed,  they  have  seen  one  of  them  in  your 
possession.  Quick,  sir,  do  go,"  I  implored. 

He  seemed  very  absent,  his  glance  appar 
ently  riveted  on  the  face  of  the  girl  whose 
130 


f    7^ 


"  Quick,  sir,"   I  said;   "you  must  get  out  of  this; 
you  must,  indeed." 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

hands  were  again  undergoing  supernatural 
assault.  But  at  last,  presumably  recognizing 
the  force  of  my  suggestions,  he  slowly  turned 
about  and  allowed  me  to  help  him  on  with  his 
top-coat.  I  softly  closed  the  door  upon  him, 
peeped  again  into  the  studio  where  the  medium 
was  repeating  her  contortions,  and  then  de 
parted  to  oversee  the  setting  forth  of  the  ex 
quisite  supper  which  Mr.  Despard  had  ordered 
for  the  refreshment  of  his  guests.  A  great  deal 
of  chatter  and  comment  formed  the  accompa 
niment  of  the  choice  banquet.  The  medium, 
declining  any  refreshment,  had  at  once  with 
drawn  after  struggling  out  of  the  trance-state, 
and  her  audience  were  therefore  at  liberty  to 
indulge  in  speculation  and  criticism  unre 
strained  by  her  presence.  Even  the  most 
sceptical  among  them  were  impressed  by  her 
undoubtedly  marvellous  powers,  and  only  one, 
Mr.  Harley,  showed  a  disposition  to  discredit 
her  genuineness. 

It  was  evident,  however,  that  he  was  quite 
upset  by  the  medium's  statement  concerning 
the  identity  and  presence  in  the  studio  of  the 
man  who  was  responsible  for  the  duchess's 
loss,  and  who  was  to  unloose  the  fountain  of 
Miss  Burnham's  tears.  He  showed  so  much 
annoyance  and  perturbation,  was  so  severe  in 
his  denunciations  of  mediums  in  general  and 
of  Mrs.  Deane  in  particular,  that  he  drew  the 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

attention  of  the  whole  party  to  himself,  and 
caused  this  little  incident  of  the  seance,  which 
without  his  assistance  would  doubtless  have 
been  passed  over  as  a  ridiculous  mistake  in  an 
otherwise  remarkable  performance,  to  be  quite 
largely  considered  and  discussed.  Indeed,  so 
persistently  did  he  harp  upon  the  subject  that 
at  last  Mr.  Key,  who  was  one  of  the  guests, 
burst  forth, — 

"Great  heavens,  Harley,  don't  take  this 
ridiculous  business  so  much  to  heart,  man. 
Do  you  think  we  are  going  to  take  you — for — 
a— thief?" 

The  beginning  of  the  ejaculation  had  all  the 
rush  and  impetus  of  a  rocket  soaring  into  the 
air  ;  its  ending  much  resembled  the  fall  of  the 
stick,  so  flat,  dull,  and  uneloquent  was  it. 
Indeed,  his  tongue  fairly  halted  over  the  last 
word,  and  he  grew  quite  embarrassed. 

Probably  nobody  noticed  his  confusion  save 
myself  and  another  man  ;  this  other  man  was 
Mr.  Bettall,  and  I  saw,  by  the  quick  glance 
that  he  first  cast  upon  Mr.  Harley  and  then 
transferred  to  Mr.  Key,  the  surprised,  almost 
bewildered  look  of  one  who  has  suddenly  re 
ceived  a  suggestion  which  almost  staggers  be 
lief,  that  the  same  idea  had  occurred  to  him 
that  I  felt  had  nearly  paralyzed  Mr.  Key's 
tongue. 

The  remark  so  innocently  begun,  and  which, 
132 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

like  Aaron's  rod,  had  turned  to  a  serpent  to 
sting  and  torture  the  speaker's  mind  with  doubts 
and  suspicions,  was  the  signal  for  a  general 
guying  of  Mr.  Harley.  One  by  one  the  men 
and  women,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Key 
and  Mr.  Bettall,  who  applied  themselves  to 
their  terrapin  silently  and  with  downcast  eyes, 
joined  in  chaffing  him  regarding  the  insinua 
tions  of  the  medium. 

"Why — why — why,"  Mrs.  Pyle  began,  "it 
is  true  that  you  were  at  Mr.  Jaffrey's  supper 
that  night,  Mr.  Harley.  And,  come  to  think 
of  it,  you  stood  very  close  to  the  duchess  going 
down  in  the  lift." 

"Yes,  yes;  and  then  there  are  Leila  Caprices' 
jewels  !"  chimed  in  Mrs.  Noble-Revere.  "  Per 
haps,  after  all,  she  didn't — hm  !  What  ? — Oh, 
mustn't  mention  what  everybody  knows  ?"  as 
Miss  Burnham  murmured  some  indistinguish 
able  words  to  her.  "Oh,  you  little  Puritan 
maiden  !  Well,  then  I  will  say  perhaps  some 
of  us  have  drawn  false  conclusions  as  to  the 
fate  of  Leila's  jewels,  and  we  have  their  thief 
right  here  in  our  very  midst.  You  know,  Mr. 
Harley,  with  the  exception  of  Courtice  Jaffrey, 
no  one  has  been  more  devoted  to  our  giddy 
Senora  than  yourself!  Ha,  ha,  ha  !" 

Her  laugh  was  echoed  and  re-echoed  by  the 
amused  circle,  and  accusatory  facts,  bits  of  in 
criminating  testimony,  and  the  like,  were  piled 
»33 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

summoning  the  lift,  then  the  noise  of  the  ascent 
and  descent  of  the  latter,  followed  by  the  open 
ing  of  the  door  and  the  approach  of  footsteps, 
the  footsteps  of  two  men. 

I  certainly  was  in  luck  that  night,  for  as  they 
emerged  into  the  street  I  could  tell  by  their 
voices  that  my  conclusions  were  right  and  that 
these  were  the  men  I  was  watching  for.  As 
they  came  out  I  heard  Mr.  Bettall  say, — 

"  By  Jove  !  it  does  not  seem  possible  !" 

To  which  Mr.  Key  replied,  "You're  right, 
Billy  ;  it  doesn't." 

I  let  them  get  a  couple  of  paces  start  of  me 
and  stole  along  noiselessly  behind  them,  near 
enough  to  hear  what  they  said,  yet  not  close 
enough  to  attract  their  notice.  Both  were 
smoking,  and  for  a  minute  or  two  they  puffed 
away  in  silence  at  their  cigars.  Finally  Mr. 
Bettall  remarked, — 

"Poor  old  Courty  !  He  must  be  devilish 
cut  up  about  this.  I  always  thought  Harley 
more  to  his  taste  than  the  rest  of  us." 

"Yes,  they  were  fairly  intimate.  He  is  cut 
up,  of  course  ;  remember  how  he  defended  him 
the  other  night  ?  Significant,  isn't  it,  that 
Harley  was  about  the  only  one  of  our  special 
set  who  wasn't  there  at  the  time  ?" 

"  Hm  !  yes.  Wonder  it  didn't  occur  to  any 
of  us  then." 

"Occur  to  us  !  Good  God  !  why  should  it 
136 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

occur  to  us  ?  Who  is  going  to  suspect  a  man 
whom  he  has  never  dreamt  of  doubting,  unless 
he  has  some  grounds  to  go  on  ?" 

"That's  so." 

There  was  another  pause  ;  then  Mr.  Bettall 
said, — 

"  He's  been  pretty  hard  up  at  times,  Harley. 
Owed  me  very  near  five  hundred  for  a  good 
bit." 

"Paid  it?" 
:    "Yes." 

"  How  long  since  ?" 

"  Hm-m-m,"  reflectively;  then  suddenly, 
"By  Jove  !  Two  days  after  Jaffrey's  supper- 
party  !  I  remember  when  he  gave  me  the 
check  he  said  Jaffrey  had  just  paid  him  the 
amount  for  a  horse.  I  recollect  that  we  had  a 
discussion  about  the  points  of  the  horse  later 
on." 

Again  a  silence  fell  upon  the  two  gentlemen. 
This  time  it  was  Mr.  Key  who  broke  it. 

"Great  heaven!"  he  exclaimed,  "what  an 
infernal  idiot  a  man  is  to  ruin  himself  like 
that !  What  would  you  do  about  it  ?' ' 

"Well,  I  don't  know.  Harley  has  evidently 
had  a  great  scare  to-night.  He  looked  fearfully 
cut  up." 

' '  I  think  we  ought  to  speak  to  Jaffrey  about 
it  and  let  him  know  we  have  discovered  his 
man.  By  Jove,  I  don't  like  associating  with 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

such  a  scoundrel  as  that  !  I  think  Jaffrey  ought 
to  make  him  get  out  of  New  York,  anyway  : 
don't  you  ?" 

Mr.  Bettall  grunted  assent,  and  all  my  bright 
visions  suddenly  clouded  over.  I  knew  that 
sooner  than  see  another  man,  and  that  other 
man  his  particular  friend,  accused  or  even  sus 
pected  of  his  own  crimes,  my  'master  would 
come  forward  and  confess  everything.  I  must 
by  all  means  prevent  Mr.  Jaffrey' s  learning  of 
the  suspicion  which  involved  Mr.  Harley.  A 
plan  flashed  into  my  brain,  and  I  at  once  started 
off  to  execute  it. 

I  knew  where  Mr.  Key's  lodgings  were  situ 
ated,  and,  as  he  was  going  a  considerable  dis 
tance  out  of  his  way  to  accompany  Mr.  Bettall 
to  his  mother's  residence,  where  he  lived,  in 
order  to  discuss  their  fancied  discovery,  I  re 
solved  to  quit  their  society,  head  Mr.  Key  off, 
and  meet  him  at  his  own  door. 

All  this  I  carried  into  effect.  As,  about  fif 
teen  minutes  after  I  had  gained  his  domicile,  I 
saw  him  approaching,  I  stepped  forward  and 
saluted  him  respectfully.  There  was  an  electric 
lamp  directly  before  the  house,  and  he  recog 
nized  me  at  once. 

"You,  Hanby  !"  he  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  beg  pardon,  sir,"  I  replied.    "  I  took 
the  liberty  of  waiting  for  you,  sir,   as  I  had 
something  of  imoortance  to  say  to  you.*' 
158 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"  Shall  we  go  in  ?"  he  asked,  with  his  hand 
in  his  pocket  for  his  latch-key. 

"  If  you  don't  mind  standing  for  a  minute, 
sir,  I  won't  detain  you  long.  It  is  very  late,  I 
know,  to  be  troubling  you  ;  but  the  fact  is,  I 
noticed  this  evening  that  you  and  Mr.  Bettall 
had  discovered  all." 

Mr.  Key  actually  started  in  his  surprise. 

"All?    All  what,  Hanby?" 

"About  Mr.  Harley,  sir.  And  I  was  afraid 
you  might  go  to  Mr.  Jaffrey,  sir,  about  it.  You 
will  remember,  perhaps,  that  I  was  in  the  room 
the  other  night  when  Mr.  Jaffrey  went  on  about 
Mr.  Harley,  defending  him.  I  have  the  honor 
to  be  in  my  master's  confidence  more  consider 
ably  than  most  servants,  and  I  happened  to  find 
out  about  Mr.  Harley.  Not  from  him,  sir  ;  he 
would  never  have  told  me  ;  but  you  will  excuse 
my  saying  more." 

Mr.  Key  nodded. 

' '  Mr.  Jaffrey  has  been  terribly  worked  up 
about  this  business,  sir.  Indeed,  I  heard  the 
doctor  tell  him  that  if  he  didn't  give  over  worry 
ing  about  what  was  troubling  him  he  wouldn't 
answer  for  the  consequences." 

What  good  friends  a  quick  imagination  and 
an  unscrupulous  conscience  are  !  I  could  see 
that  Mr.  Key  was  quite  moved  by  my  glib  lies. 

"And  you  are  afraid  if  he  finds  out  that  we 
have  discovered  what  a  thorough-going  rascal 
139 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Mr.  Harley  is,  it  will  distress  him  :  is  that  it, 
Hanby?" 

"Yes,  sir.  And  it  won't  do  any  good, 
either,  sir  ;  there  is  no  real  proof  against  Mr. 
Harley." 

Mr.  Key  looked  doubtful.  ' '  I  am  not  so 
sure  of  that,"  he  said. 

"You  are  thinking  of  all  that  joking  that 
was  going  on  to-night,  sir  ?  Even  if  it  were 
true,  it's  nothing  but  circumstantial  evidence, 
which  wouldn't  serve  at  all  to  convict  him. 
Besides,  sir,  my  master  is  so  sorry  for  him  and 
likes  him  so  well  that,  for  the  sake  of  serving 
him,  I'm  not  sure  he  wouldn't  swear  him  an 
alibi." 

A  little  gleam  of  suspicion  came  into  Mr. 
Key's  eyes. 

"You  seem  to  take  a  warm  interest  in  pre 
venting  Mr.  Harley 's  accusation,  my  man,"  he 
said. 

"Not  for  his  sake,  sir,"  I  replied.  "As  far 
as  he  is  concerned,  you  might  hang  him  as 
high  as  Haman,  for  all  I  care.  But,  Mr.  Key, 
you  can  never  know  how  much  my  master  has 
done  for  me.  I  couldn't  tell  you,  sir.  But  if 
I  could  lay  down  my  life  to  spare  him  even  the 
shadow  of  trouble,  I  would  do  it,  and  count  it 
nothing  as  payment  for  what  I  owe  him.  And 
that  is  why  I  took  the  liberty  of  speaking  to 
you  to-night.  The  minute  I  saw  you  and  Mr. 
140 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Bettall  exchange  looks  I  said  to  myself,  '  They 
know  all,'  and  then  I  thought  of  my  master  :  I 
felt  pretty  sure  you'd  go  to  him  about  it.  And 
so  I  hurried  off  here,  sir,  to  see  if  you  wouldn't 
keep  mum  about  the  matter,  both  you  and  Mr. 
Bettall,  as  long  as  it  can't  do  any  good  to 
accuse  him.  I'd  like  to  spare  my  master  any 
more  fretting  over  this  business  if  I  could,  sir, 
and  that's  a  fact." 

Mr.  Key  remained  silent  for  a  few  minutes, 
gazing  intently  at  the  pavement,  evidently 
thinking  deeply.  Presently  he  said, — 

"  Those  ladies  have  been  done  out  of  small 
fortunes  ;  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should 
bear  such  a  loss  and  Harley  escape  scot-free 
with  the  boodle." 

My  wit  is  quick.  "Mr.  Jaffrey  has  made 
him  promise  restitution,  sir,"  I  said.  "The 
jewels  are  gone,  but  the  money  will  soon  be 
restored  to  them  indirectly.  Indeed,  Senora 
Caprices  has  already  received  the  equivalent 
of  her  loss." 

After  another  pause,  during  which  Mr.  Key 
stood  looking  straight  at  me,  he  gave  a  short 
laugh. 

"Well,  you  are  a  queer  little  beggar, 
Hanby,"  he  said.  "I  wonder  how  many 
valets  consider  it  part  of  their  business  to  take 
charge  of  their  masters'  ease  of  mind  as  well 
as  of  body.  I  won't  commit  myself  to  any- 
141 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

thing  to-night ;  it's  too  serious  a  matter  to  be 
hastily  decided  ;  but  I'll  talk  it  over  with  Mr. 
Bettall,  and" — yawning  heavily — "we'll  see, 
we'll  see." 

He  nodded  a  dismissal  and  passed  into  the 
house.  I  felt  that  I  had  won  my  point,  how 
ever,  and  after-events  proved  me  to  be  right. 


142 


CHAPTER     VI 

WHEN  I  reached  home  I  found  that  my 
master  had  already  retired,  but  in  the 
morning,  while  I  was  dressing  him,  he  asked 
me  many  questions  about  the  evening's  enter 
tainment,  and  I  easily  discovered  that  it  had 
not  occurred  to  him  that  the  words  of  the 
medium  could  for  a  moment  bring  Mr.  Harley 
under  real  suspicion. 

He  pooh-poohed  the  idea  of  there  being 
anything  supernatural  in  the  woman's  powers, 
insisting  that  she  had  gotten  her  information  in 
regard  to  the  affair  of  the  robbery  from  the 
newspapers  in  common  with  all  the  world,  and 
that  her  accurate  description  of  himself  was  a 
mere  coincidence.  Of  course  I  was  exceed 
ingly  careful  that  he  should  not  dream  of  the 
discovery  which  Mr.  Key  and  Mr.  Bettall  sup 
posed  themselves  to  have  made,  nor  of  the 
fact  that  I  had  done  my  best  to  confirm  them 
in  their  mistake. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  seemed  less  interested  in  the 
details  of  the  seance  than  in  my  description  of 
H3 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

the  guests,  and  even  on  this  point  his  desire  for 
information  seemed  narrowed  down  to  one 
person.  This  person  was  the  heiress,  Miss 
Burnham,  about  whom  he  made  many  in 
quiries,  even  appearing  to  endeavor  to  draw 
me  on  to  expressing  my  own  humble  admira 
tion  for  that  exceedingly  wealthy  young  lady. 

"She  was  quite  the  attraction,  sir,  of  the 
whole  party,"  I  returned,  "and  I  don't  wonder 
at  it.  What  with  all  her  money  and  that  sweet, 
pretty  way  she  has  with  her,  it  isn't  strange 
that  she  should  have  all  the  gentlemen  at  her 
feet.  Mr.  Harley  seemed  particularly  struck, 
sir." 

' '  Er-did  he  ?' '  Mr.  Jaffrey  returned.  ' '  Well, 
I  wish  he  may— er  win  her.  He-er — he  needs 
the  money." 

"It's  a  pity,  sir,"  I  made  bold  again  to 
venture,  pointedly,  "that  other  gentlemen  I 
know  of  couldn't  make  a  fortune  as  safely  and 
easily  as  that." 

Mr.  Jaffrey,  who  was  filing  his  nails,  looked 
up  at  me  and  laughed. 

"  Meaning-er  me,  Hanby  ?"  he  asked. 
"Well,  I'm  not-er  exactly  in  a  position  to— er 
— to  marry,  you  know." 

I  sighed  and  shook  my  head.  What  an 
outrageous  shame  it  was,  I  thought,  that  Mr. 
Jaffrey  should  have  so  hampered  his  fortunes  ! 

The  days  passed  on,  and  the  winter  wore 
144 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

away  without  anything  of  especial  note  taking 
place.  I  heard  nothing  from  Mr.  Key  or  Mr. 
Bettall,  and  concluded  that  they  had  determined 
to  leave  the  matter  as  it  stood  and  not  harry 
my  master  any  further  concerning  it,  unless 
some  fresh  indiscretion  on  Mr.  Harley's  part 
should  force  them  to  do  so.  As  for  Mr.  Jaffrey, 
during  the  rest  of  that  winter  he  took  no  more 
chances  with  fortune.  Nor  was  it  necessary 
for  him  to  do  so.  The  value  of  that  magnifi 
cent  necklace  of  her  grace's,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  revenue  from  the  Caprices'  jewels,  would 
keep  him  afloat  for  a  long  time. 

But,  even  had  it  been  necessary  for  him  to 
make  fresh  exertions,  I  do  not  know  if  he  would 
have  been  equal  to  the  occasion.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  a  change  had  come  over  him,  the  origin 
of  which  I  could  not  trace,  nor  could  I  put  my 
finger  on  the  exact  day  when  I  first  noticed  it. 
It  may  be  that  it  dated  back  to  the  night  when 
I  discovered  him  standing  before  his  toilet-table 
face  to  face  with  Eternity,  although  I  should 
rather  say  that  I  did  not  note  any  difference  in 
him  until  after  that  seance  in  Mr.  Despard's 
studio. 

At  any  rate,  he  did  not  appear  to  be  in  his 
usual  form,  and,  whereas  he  had  been  wont  to 
accept  as  many  invitations  as  he  could  possibly 
crowd  into  the  day  and  night,  now  he  not 
unfrequently  dined  quietly  at  home  and  spent 
10  145 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

a  long,  solitary  evening  before  his  own  hearth. 
I  wondered  that  on  such  occasions  he  did  not 
prefer  to  pass  his  leisure  up  in  Seventy-First 
Street  rather  than  by  himself. ' ' 

Once  in  a  while  I  was  charged  with  some 
note  or  message  to  Miss  Jermyn  or  Mrs.  Jaffrey, 
but  I  never  caught  sight  of  the  latter,  though  I 
was  most  curious  to  see  what  she  was  like  and 
took  advantage  of  every  chance  which  might 
procure  me  the  desired  opportunity.  The 
occasional  notes  which  passed  between  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jaffrey  were  always  most  affectionate 
and  loving,  and  testified  a  warm  mutual  devo 
tion. 

One  afternoon,  somewhere  along  in  Febru 
ary,  Mr.  Jaffrey  brought  Mr.  Harley  home  with 
him. 

"  Lay  two  covers,  Hanby,"  he  said,  "  and-er 
go  round  and  tell  them  to  send  in  something-er 
rather  better  than  common  for-er  dinner." 

There  was  nothing  to  complain  of  in  the 
delicate  little  dinner  which,  an  hour  later,  I 
served  to  the  two  gentlemen  ;  but  such  was  Mr. 
Harley' s  humor  that  not  even  the  deliciously 
prepared  viands  nor  the  excellent  wines  were 
potent  to  dispel  a  shadow  which  evidently 
clouded  his  spirits. 

After  they  had  left  the  table  and  were  com 
fortably  ensconced  before  a  wood  fire  in  the 
smoking-room  with  plenty  of  cigars  and  a 
146 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

liqueur-stand  within  reach,  I  heard  my  master 
begin,  affectionately, — 

"  I-er  say,  Harley,  what's  up,  old  man? 
You  don't  seem  quite-er  fit,  you  know." 

My  heart  jumped  into  my  mouth,  and  I  snug 
gled  myself  into  those  ever-faithful  friends  of 
the  inquisitive,  the  portieres. 

"What,"  thought  I,  "if  the  fat's  in  the  fire, 
and  my  dupes  have  at  last  shown  too  plainly  to 
Mr.  Harley  that  they  know  something  to  his 
discredit  !" 

With  beating  pulses  1  listened  for  the  latter' s 
reply.  He  took  the  weed  out  of  his  mouth  and 
blew  a  cloud  of  smoke  into  the  room  before  he 
answered.  Then,  with  his  eyes  bent  upon  the 
moist  end  of  the  cigar,  he  said, — 

"Well,  Courty,  there  is  something  wrong 
with  me,  and  that's  a  fact ;  but  I'll  be  d — d  if 
I  can  exactly  explain  it  to  you.  Fact  is,  there's 
been  for  some  time  a  growing  coolness  toward 
me  on  the  part  of  the  fellows  at  the  clubs.  I 
can't  say  when  it  began,  and  God  knows  I 
haven't  any  idea  what  has  caused  it,  but  it  is 
painfully  evident  all  the  same." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  smiled  incredulously. 

"  Oh-er,  hang  it  all,  Harley,  you're  too  sen 
sitive  ;  that's  what's  the  matter." 

The  other  shook  his  head  emphatically. 

"  No  such  thing,"  he  said.  "  A  man  would 
be  thunderingly  tough-skinned  not  to  notice 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

slights  which  have  been  put  upon  me  of  late. 
Why,  good  heavens,  Jaffrey  !  the  other  night  I 
went  into  the  Union  Club  card-room  and  offered 
to  take  a  hand  at  poker  with  some  fellows — let 
me  see,  there  were  Bettall,  Bellew,  Don  Key, 
and  Horton  Stokes  there.  They  were  civil  and 
dealt  me  a  hand,  but  before  we  had  played 
fifteen  minutes  every  man  but  Stokes  had  made 
some  excuse  to  drop  out,  although,  as  Stokes 
said,  when  they  began  to  play  they  had  inti 
mated  that  they  meant  to  make  a  night  of  it. ' ' 

Mr.  Jaffrey  began  to  look  grave. 

"Why,  Harley,"  he  said,  "they-er  must 
have  had  some-er — some  other  reason  for  leav 
ing,  old  man.  You  don't  think  it  was  because 
they-er  didn't  want  to  play  with  you  ?" 

•'That  is  exactly  what  I  do  think,  then,"  the 
other  returned,  with  considerable  feeling. 

"Absurd!"  Mr.  Jaffrey  cried.  "Why,  my 
dear  fellow,  what-er  reason  under  heaven  could 
they  have  had  for-er  treating  you  like-er  that  ?' ' 

Mr.  Harley  rose  from  his  chair,  plunged  his 
hands  into  his  pockets,  and  stood  leaning 
against  the  chimney-piece,  looking  excitedly 
down  at  my  master,  Tall,  slight,  and  fair,  he 
bore  rather  a  close  resemblance  to  Mr.  Jaffrey  ; 
indeed,  they  were  much  more  alike  than  are 
most  brothers. 

"That's  what  I  want  you  to  tell  me,  Cour- 
tice,"  he  replied.  "This  isn't  the  first  time 
148 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

they  have  turned  the  cold  shoulder  on  me, 
those  fellows,  and,  egad,  before  long  the  rest 
of  the  world  may  catch  the  contagion  of  their 
example." 

I  winced,  but  Mr.  Jaffrey  remained  calm, 
incredulous,  unmoved.  He  was  possessed  of 
the  unconsciousness  of  utter  ignorance  ;  while 
I,  being  so  largely  in  the  secret  of  this  move 
ment  against  Mr.  Harley,  quaked  guiltily. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  made  no  immediate  reply,  but 
sat  smoking  away  thoughtfully,  gazing  into  the 
fire  as  if  he  might  discover  a  solution  of  the 
mystery  in  its  glowing  depths.  Presently  he 
said,  slowly, — 

"  Could  it  be  jealousy,  do  you  think,  Harley, 
of-er  Miss  Burnham's  evident  preference  for 
you  ?  They  are  all  three  in  the-er  running  for 
the  Burnham  stakes,  I-er  believe." 

Mr.  Harley  flushed  and  shook  his  head. 

"No;  no  fool  could  be  jealous  of  such  a 
preference  as  Miss  Burnham  shows  me  :  it's  too 
confoundedly  open  and  friendly." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  looked  up  at  his  friend  in  sur 
prise. 

"Why,  by  Jove,  old  man!  you've  got  an 
attack  of  midsummer  madness  out  of-er  sea 
son.  There  isn't  a  man  in  town  who  wouldn't 
give  odds  on  your  chances." 

The  flush  on  Mr.  Harley' s  fair  face  deepened. 

"D — n  it  all,  Courty,"  he  said,  "such  a 
149 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

matter  as  that  is  no  subject  for  a  wager."  He 
spoke  with  much  feeling.  Mr.  Jaffrey  regarded 
him  questioningly. 

"Gone-er  deep,  Harley  ?  Deeper  than  the 
glitter  of  mere-er  metallic  surface  attractions  ?" 

The  other  nodded.  "Wish  to  heaven  she 
hadn't  a  nickel  !"  he  muttered. 

"  And-er  yet,  such  a  fortune  as  hers  is  a  tidy 
little-er  competence  for  a  man  to  start  married 
life  on,"  Mr.  Jaffrey  said,  musingly. 

Mr.  Harley  started  forward  until  he  stood 
directly  before  my  master. 

"See  here,  Jaffrey,"  he  began,  hotly,  "do 
you  think  I  am  after  Elinor  Burnham's  money  ? 
For,  if  you  do,"  he  continued,  as  Mr.  Jaffrey 
made  no  reply,  "  let  me  tell  you  you  are  labor 
ing  under  a  tremendous  mistake.  If  you  knew 
her  as  well  as  I  do,  you  would  understand  that 
it  would  be  simply  impossible  for  a  man  to 
come  under  her  influence  and  not  love  her. 
Some  fellows  might  be  attracted  in  the  first 
place  by  her  millions,  but  unless  they  were 
utterly  worthless  they  could  not  help  soon 
yielding  to  the  charm  of  her  own  person.  I 
tell  you,  Courty,  she  is  far  and  away  the 
loveliest  creature  I  have  ever  known.  I  am 
sure  the  prejudice  you  seem  to  have  formed 
against  her  would  vanish  if  you  only  knew  her 
better." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  raised  his  eyebrows. 
150 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said,  "  I  am  not  pre 
judiced  against  Miss  Burnham." 

"  Well,  you  always  seem  to  avoid  her.  She 
herself  has  spoken  of  it." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  leaned  forward  to  knock  the  ash 
off  his  cigar,  which  action  he  performed  a  little 
clumsily.  When  he  responded  it  was  with  a 
change  of  subject. 

"  So-er  you  think  there  are  other  grounds 
for  this  coolness  you-er  complain  of?" 

"  I  don't  complain  of  it,  Jaffrey,"  Mr.  Harley 
returned,  proudly.  "I've  done  nothing  of 
which  I  need  be  ashamed,  thank  God !" — I 
glanced  at  my  master ;  his  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  fire.  Was  it  the  reflection  from  the 
glowing  embers  that  gave  that  dull  red  flush  to 
his  face  ? — "  I  can  hold  my  head  erect  and  look 
any  man  in  the  eyes.  But  I  thought  you  might 
have  heard  some  reason  for  these  fellows' 
treatment  of  me,  and  so  I  decided  to  simply 
ask  you  if  you  could  explain  it.  I  don't  seek 
sympathy  ;  I  only  want  some  light  thrown  on 
the  matter.  If  it's  a  personal  prejudice  against 
me,  they  may  go  hang  ;  but  if  some  one  has 
been  slandering  me  behind  my  back,  I'd  like 
the  privilege  of  horsewhipping  him  ;  that's  all." 

He  took  a  fresh  cigar  and  lighted  it,  while 
my  master  sat  ruminating.  Presently  the  latter 
said, — 

"  Er-I've  been  trying  to  think  if  I've  ever 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

heard  any  one  say-er  anything  against  you, 
old  man  ;  but  I  can't  seem  to-er  recall  a  single 
thing.  However,  they  wouldn't-er  be  exactly 
likely  to  say  anything  before  me,  you  know. 
They're  all  pretty  well  aware  how-er — how-er 
I  feel  toward  you.  But,  if  you  like,  Harley, 
I'll-er  sound  them  on  the  subject.  Only  I-er 
think  it  only  fair  to  tell  you  that  if  they 
should-er  say  anything  I  didn't  like,  I  might 
deprive  you  of  the  pleasure  of-er  horsewhipping 
them." 

But  Mr.  Harley  naturally  wouldn't  hear  of 
this.  He  was  quite  too  lofty  a  gentleman  to 
allow  his  character  to  be  vindicated  by  even 
his  most  intimate  friend.  He  thanked  my 
master  cordially,  but  declared  that  he  would  on 
no  account  permit  inquiry  to  be  made  into  the 
matter.  He  was  quite  able,  he  said,  to  face 
any  amount  of  coldness  and  reserve,  being 
absolutely  innocent  of  having  afforded  reason 
for  the  same.  Should  open  insult  or  complete 
rupture  of  hitherto  friendly  relations  ensue,  he 
would  know  how  to  defend  himself. 

He  departed  soon  after,  and  my  master  sat 
for  some  time  after  he  left,  apparently  wrapped 
in  thought,  and  idly  gazing  into  the  dying  fire. 
Once,  entering  the  room  so  quietly  that  he  did 
not  detect  my  presence,  I  noticed  that  he  was 
looking  intently  at  something  which  lay  upon 
his  crossed  knees. 

152 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  glanced  surreptitiously  over  his  shoulder, 
his  back  being  toward  the  door,  and  saw  that 
the  object  upon  which  his  eyes  were  riveted 
was  a  newspaper.  The  sheet  was  adorned 
with  wood-cuts  of  some  of  the  most  celebrated 
of  New  York's  society  women,  and  the  face 
which  held  his  attention  bore  beneath  it  the 
inscription  "Miss  Elinor  Leyland  Burnham, 
the  latest  aspiration  of  the  jeunesse  doree  of 
New  York. ' ' 

I  found  that  same  paper  the  next  morning 
carelessly  tossed  upon  the  floor,  but — that  par 
ticular  wood-cut  was  missing  from  it. 

Easter  fell  early  that  year,  I  remember.  I 
think  Lent  came  in  about  the  middle  of  Feb 
ruary,  for  it  was  somewhere  toward  the  last  of 
March  that  Mrs.  Leyland,  who  had  a  fine 
country-place  at  Lenox,  sent  out  invitations  to 
a  large  house-party  for  the  Easter  holidays,  my 
master  being  included  among  the  guests. 

I  wish  I  could  find  some  interesting  matter 
to  relate  of  the  course  of  Mr.  Jaffrey's  life 
along  about  this  time,  before  we  went  down  to 
Berkshire,  for  I  would  gladly  stave  off  for  a 
while  the  rehearsal  of  the  unhappy  events  of 
that  visit,  besides  being  loath  to  say  farewell 
again  to  the  master  whom  I  so  gladly  served, 
the  man  whom  I  so  truly  loved,  the  hero,  albeit 
a  curiously  deficient  one,  who  yet  proved  at 
the  last  his  claim  to  be  written  up  as  such. 
'S3 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

But  nothing  worthy  of  note  took  place  during 
the  rest  of  that  winter. 

The  prejudice  against  Mr.  Harley  strength 
ened,  and  I  think  Mr.  Jaffrey  made  one  or  two 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  discover  the  reason 
for  it ;  but  as  the  gentleman  was  sent  abroad 
soon  after  that  evening  on  which  he  opened  his 
heart  to  my  master,  by  the  firm  in  which  he 
occupied  a  trusted  position,  it  was  only  by 
occasional  hints  and  innuendoes  that  Mr. 
Jaffrey  gathered  what  the  nature  of  club  senti 
ment  toward  him  was. 

I  overheard  him  questioning  Mr.  Key,  one 
evening,  on  the  subject.  The  two  gentlemen 
had  just  come  in  from  a  late  performance  at 
the  Vaudeville,  and  I  had  been  despatched  to 
prepare  them  each  a  cocktail,  as  the  night  was 
cold  and  they  were  chilled  to  the  marrow,  they 
said. 

As  I  caught  the  question  on  the  threshold  I 
made  a  bold  entry  into  the  room,  so  bold  and 
precipitous  an  entry  that  the  glasses  jingled 
noisily  on  the  tray  and  their  contents  met  with 
a  narrow  escape  from  a  lowly  and  unworthy 
fate.  As  I  passed  the  tray  to  Mr.  Key  I  ven 
tured  to  cast  a  warning  and  imploring  glance  at 
him.  He  caught  the  look  and  nodded  good- 
naturedly,  and  I  was  glad  that  I  had  taken  extra 
pains  in  mixing  the  drinks,  for  I  felt  that  after 
swallowing  the  genial  decoction  he  could  not 
154 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

feel  it  in  his  heart  to  thwart  the  wishes  of  its 
compounder.  I  am  sure  that  my  master  gained 
no  information  that  night. 

But  I  dreaded  Mr.  Harley's  return.  I  felt 
that  in  the  very  nature  of  things  there  must  be 
an  explanation  of  affairs  sometime,  and  I  was 
terribly  affraid  Mr.  Jaffrey  would  not  be  content 
simply  to  give  the  lie  to  the  charge  against  his 
friend.  I  knew  him  to  be  a  very  curiously  in 
consistent  man,  thoroughly  unscrupulous  in  the 
matter  of  appropriating  for  his  own  purposes 
the  superfluous  possessions  of  others,  but  ab 
surdly  sensitive  concerning  certain  points  of 
honor.  He  was  a  very  singular  contradiction, 
and  one  on  whose  actions  under  certain  condi 
tions  it  was  impossible  to  reckon.  It  would  be 
quite  possible  that,  in  order  thoroughly  to  clear 
his  friend  from  the  false  imputation  brought 
against  him,  he  would  make  a  clean  breast  of 
the  whole  matter.  And  then,  what  ?  Ruin. 
Nothing  less.  I  shuddered  every  time  I  thought 
of  such  a  catastrophe,  and  was  glad  that  Mr. 
Harley's  employers  had  found  it  necessary  to 
oblige  him  to  make  two  voyages  across  the 
ocean  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  such  trips 
involve  greater  risk  than  at  others. 

What  a  magnificently  simple  solution  of  the 

whole  business  his  ' '  going  out, ' '  as  the  medium 

called  it,  would  be  !     Of  the  dead  nothing  but 

good !     There  would  be  no  object  then  for  the 

'55 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

• 

gentlemen  to  disclose  their  supposed  knowledge 
of  his  dishonesty.  Naturally  they  would  let 
the  matter  drop,  and  my  master  would  never 
learn  how,  unconsciously,  his  friend  had  been 
the  scapegoat  of  his  own  offences. 

Meanwhile  Mrs.  Jaffrey  was  an  invalid  sub 
ject  to  attacks  which  at  any  time  might  prove 
fatal.  I  suspected  that  my  master  was  begin 
ning  to  feel  himself  attracted  by  Miss  Burn- 
ham.  I  had  never  seen  them  together,  and  I 
had  heard  Mr.  Harley  charge  him  with  avoid 
ing  her  through  prejudice,  but  I  knew  more  of 
Mr.  Jaffrey' s  affairs  than  Mr.  Harley  did,  and, 
realizing  the  impossibility  of  my  master' s  marry 
ing  any  woman  under  existing  circumstances, 
it  seemed  to  me  that  his  avoidance  of  the  society 
of  a  particular  one  was  significant.  Besides 
which,  a  man  does  not  clip  from  a  paper  the 
picture  of  a  woman  against  whom  he  is  pre 
possessed,  nor  does  he  carry  the  same  over  his 
heart  in  his  note-book. 

We  did  not  go  down  to  Berkshire  upon  the 
day  for  which  Mr.  Jaffrey  was  invited,  as  Mrs. 
Jaffrey  took  that  opportunity  to  indulge  in  an 
other  attack,  and  my  master  was  obliged  to 
send  a  wire  deferring  his  visit  for  a  couple  of 
days. 

I  think  Mr.  Jaffrey  had  had  several  minds 
about  accepting  Mrs.  Leyland's  invitation  at 
all,  for  there  had  been  quite  a  correspondence 
156 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

between  them  concerning  it.  He  had  at  first 
declined  absolutely,  and  then  she  had  sent  him 
a  note  which  I  could  not  read,  as  it  was  sealed 
with  wax.  But  it  doubtless  urged  him  to  re 
consider  his  determination,  and  I  had  after 
ward  delivered  another  note  at  the  Leyland 
mansion  on  Fifth  Avenue,  which  again  re 
peated  his  regrets. 

The  next  morning  had  come  a  little  com 
munication  from  Miss  Burnham,  which  my 
master  did  not  destroy  after  reading,  according 
to  his  custom,  but  which  I  later  on  discovered 
in  his  note-book.  It  ran  thus  : 

"  DEAR  MR.  JAFFREY, — 

"Aunt  Laura  is  so  disappointed  at  yoar  de 
cision,  and  so  am  I.  We  are  horribly  persist 
ent,  I  know,  but  would  it  not  be  possible  for 
you  to  give  us  even  a  couple  of  days  out  of  the 
week?  Don't  decide  now  if  the  chances  are 
against  it,  but  say  that  if  we  reserve  a  room 
for  you,  you  may  be  able  to  run  down  for  a 
night  or  two.  Hoping  you  will  allow  us  to 
persuade  you,  I  remain 

"  Very  cordially  yours, 

"  ELINOR  LEYLAND  BURNHAM." 

I  presume  that  this  did  the  business,   and 
that  my  master  replied  to  it  in  person,  for  I  was 
not  intrusted  with  any  answer. 
157 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  a  cold,  raw 
March  day  when  we  reached  Lenox  station. 
As  I  followed  my  master  out  of  the  overheated 
car,  however,  we  found  a  bright  welcome  await 
ing  us,  which  made  us  quite  forget  that  there 
was  no  sun  about. 

A  groom  was  standing  at  the  head  of  a  clean- 
looking  mare  hitched  to  a  dog-cart,  in  which 
was  seated  Miss  Burnham,  reins  and  whip  in 
hand,  who  cast  upon  my  master  a  warm  smile 
of  welcome  which  even  included  me,  his  ser 
vant. 

The  smile  found  a  reflection  in  Mr.  Jaffrey's 
face  ;  indeed,  he  would  have  been  a  surly  brute 
who  had  not  responded  cordially  to  it,  and  as 
he  went  fonvard  with  lifted  hat  the  girl  said,  in 
a  soft,  really  musical  voice,  an  exception  among 
the  voices  of  American  women, — 

"You  see  I  could  not  resist  coming  for  you 
myself.  Indeed,  there  was  no  one  else  to  come, 
for  they  are  all  gone  on  a  coaching  trip  to  Bar- 
rington,  and  you  will  find  the  house  quite  de 
serted  when  you  arrive." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  pressed  the  hand  she  held  out  to 
him. 

"  You  stayed  at  home  to  come  over  for  me  ?" 
he  asked,  and  I  noticed  that  always  in  address 
ing  her  he  dropped  the  drawl  from  his  speech. 
"You  are  too  good,  quite.  I  am  sorry  you 
should  have  lost  a  pleasure  on  my  account." 
158 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Miss  Burnham  flushed  a  little  consciously. 
"I  wanted  to  come,"  she  replied,  simply. 
"Now,  about  your  traps.  If  your  man" — 
turning  to  me  with  her  pretty  smile — "will 
show  them  to  Birch,  he  will  see  to  them." 

She  motioned  to  the  groom  who  was  holding 
the  impatient  horse.  Mr.  Jaffrey  mounted  the 
cart,  and  the  groom  and  I  went  off  about  the 
luggage. 

It  was  a  very  comfortable  billet,  was  Long- 
view,  Mrs.  Leyland's  place, — a  big,  roomy 
stone  house  covered  with  Japanese  ivy  (which 
now,  of  course,  was  out  of  leaf),  built  probably 
after  an  English  model  and  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  fairly  large  estate.  The  servants'  hall 
was  well  looked  after,  and  I  think  that  the  rest 
of  the  establishment  was  similarly  conducted. 

I  went  up  on  the  trap  with  the  luggage,  and 
found  quite  a  number  of  maids  and  men  having 
tea  in  the  servants'  hall  when  I  arrived.  I  was 
made  welcome,  and  learned  that  my  master 
and  Miss  Burnham  were  being  likewise  re 
freshed  above-stairs,  and  that  an  elderly  guest, 
the  mother  of  one  of  the  absent  coaching-party, 
was  to  have  played  propriety  by  mounting  guard 
over  the  couple,  but  that  she  had  fallen  asleep 
in  the  library  during  Miss  Burnham' s  absence, 
and  that  the  latter  would  not  allow  her  to  be 
awakened.  I  blessed  Morpheus  and  wished 
God-speed  to  the  tete-a-tete. 
'59 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  butler,  on  returning  from  serving  tea, 
announced  that  the  two  were  as  cosy,  sitting  on 
either  side  of  a  huge  fire  in  the  luxurious  hall, 
as  turtle-doves. 

"Miss  Burnham  does  seem  a  bit  excited," 
he  said.  ' '  Ah,  she' s  a  rare  one,  she  is  !  A 
lucky  man  him  as  gets  her." 

And,  indeed,  when,  an  hour  or  so  later,  my 
master  came  up  to  be  dressed  for  dinner,  I 
thought  that  Miss  Burnham' s  excitement  must 
have  been  contagious,  for  I  had  never  seen  him 
look  so  alert  and  handsome. 

I  took  great  pains  to  ingratiate  myself  with 
Dora,  Miss  Burnham' s  own  woman,  for  I  felt 
that  I  might  get  from  her  considerable  informa 
tion  regarding  her  mistress.  She  was  a  Swede, 
a  bright,  clever,  capable  little  creature  with  a 
gossipy  tongue  and  merry  disposition.  She 
seemed  very  fond  of  Miss  Burnham  and  deeply 
interested  in  her  future. 

"  My  !"  she  exclaimed,  while  we  were  having 
breakfast  the  next  morning,  "but  doesn't  Mr. 
Jaffrey  look  like  Mr.  Harley  !  I  suppose  that's 
why  Miss  Burnham  takes  to  him  so. ' ' 

"  To  whom  ?' '  I  asked.     ' '  To  Mr.  Harley  ?' ' 

She  turned  up  her  little  nose.  "  No  :  to 
your  master,  of  course.  Ain't  she  going  to 
marry  Mr.  Harley  ?' ' 

"Is  she?"  I  inquired,  with  interest. 

' '  Why,  of  course,  She' s  only  waiting,  I 
160 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

guess,  for  him  to  get  home  to  have  it  come  out. 
He's  coming  this  week,  too.  They're  expect 
ing  him  down  here." 

I  wondered  if  she  had  any  trustworthy  grounds 
for  her  assertion.  Sometimes  these  girls  jump 
pretty  hastily  at  conclusions. 

I  learned  from  the  butler  later  that  there  were 
about  a  dozen  people  staying  at  Longview. 
Among  them  were  several  acquaintances  of 
the  reader,  namely,  Mrs.  Noble-Revere,  Miss 
Belmine,  Mr.  Key,  Mr.  Bellew,  and  Mr.  Des- 
pard.  The  others  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
introduce,  as  they  are  simply  walking  ladies 
and  gentlemen  in  this  little  drama.  The  party 
appeared  to  be  a  congenial  one,  and  the  sounds 
of  gayety  and  mirth  often  penetrated  even  to 
the  servants'  quarters. 

I  had  never  known  my  master  appear  so 
light-hearted  and  happy.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
cloud  which  had  recently  been  hanging  over 
his  spirits  had  wholly  vanished,  leaving  him 
quite  the  reverse  of  what  he  had  been  of  late. 
But  I  thought  he  rather  avoided  his  own  society, 
and  perhaps  mine  also.  He  was  in  his  room 
as  little  as  possible,  even  cutting  me  short  in 
the  details  of  his  toilet  in  order  to  get  down 
stairs  again  without  unnecessary  delay. 

His  new  mood  did  not  strike  me  as  quite 
natural  to  him.  It  was  not  exactly  in  keeping 
with  his  usual  rather  quiet,  indolent  character, 
ii  161 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  restless  activity  and  high  animal  spirits 
which  had  now  taken  possession  of  him  made 
him  seem  quite  another  man  from  the  Courtice 
Jaffrey  I  had  been  familiar  with  in  New  York. 
I  often  wondered  what  had  come  over  him, 
and  had  hard  work  to  satisfy  myself  on  the 
point. 

I  could  not  understand  his  light-heartedness, 
and  sometimes  thought  it  was  just  pure  reck 
lessness,  a  sort  of  devil-may-care  determination 
to  make  the  most  of  present  opportunities,  to 
enjoy  himself  up  to  the  handle  while  he  could, 
let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might. 

And  yet,  I  thought,  how  could  a  man  with 
his  tender  feelings  so  quickly  forget  that  he  had 
just  been  watching  beside  the  possible  death 
bed  of  his  wife  ?  How  could  he  so  soon  enter 
into  a  flirtation  (and  quite  a  desperate  one,  too, 
if  any  faith  could  be  placed  in  the  gossip  of 
the  butler,  footmen,  and  grooms)  with  another 
woman  ? 

A  dark  thought  entered  my  mind,  but  I 
would  not  let  it  gain  foothold.  I  might  have 
believed  it  of  many  men,  but  of  my  master, 
never.  The  suggestion — I  almost  hate  to  write 
it  here,  only  I  want  to  show  just  how  non 
plussed  I  was — was  that  he  might  be  quietly 
ridding  himself  of — but  no  ;  I  cannot  put  such 
a  suspicion  of  Mr.  Jaffrey  into  words.  I  should 
never  have  dreamed  of  it,  excepting  for  his 
162 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

unnatural  manner  and  the  increasing  frequency 
and  danger  of  Mrs.  Jaffrey's  attacks. 

The  second  day  after  our  arrival  Dora  in 
formed  us  at  dinner,  which  was  a  mid-day 
affair  in  the  servants'  hall,  that  Mr.  Harley's 
steamer  was  in,  and  that  he  had  telegraphed  he 
would  be  down  that  afternoon. 

"Wonder  will  Miss  Burnham  go  over  to 
meet  him  !"  exclaimed  Holly,  one  of  the  foot 
men. 

"Not  she;  she's  going  to  show  Mr.  Jaffrey 
the  Glen.  She's  going  to  ride  the  Jewess,  and 
the  dude — excuse  me,  Mr.  Hanby  :  no  offence 
meant — is  going  to  ride  Duke.  I  carried  the 
orders  to  Birch  awhile  back."  An  under-foot- 
man  was  the  speaker. 

"  How's  the  betting  now,  ladies  and  gentle 
men  ?"  asked  the  butler,  throwing  his  glance 
around  the  table.  "  I'm  giving  long  odds  on 
the  dude.  Am  willing  to  back  him  against  the 
field  for  a  considerable  figure." 

No  one  seemed  disposed  to  accept  the  pro 
posed  wager.  Evidently  the  dude  was  the 
favorite.  But  I  had  a  little  money  in  my 
pocket  that  said  Mr.  Jaffrey  would  not  marry 
Miss  Burnham,  and  so  I  took  up  the  offer. 

"See  here,  Mr.  Rawson,"  I  said,  "how 
much  is  it  to  be  ?' ' 

There  was  a  general  exclamation. 

"Why,  Mr.  Hanby,  you  aren't  never  going 
163 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

to  bet  against  your  own  gentleman  !"  said 
Dora. 

"Well,  Miss  Dora,  I  just  am,"  I  replied. 
"  If  I  lose,  I  shan't  so  much  mind,  I  shall  be 
so  pleased  to  think  my  gentleman's  been  so 
lucky." 

"My!  I  am  surprised  at  you,  Mr.  Hanby, 
truly  I  am,"  she  returned,  with  a  coquettish 
reproof  in  her  blue  eyes. 

Rawson  and  I  arranged  our  bet,  and  Mrs. 
Home,  the  head  kitchen-maid,  a  very  respect 
able  elderly  American  woman,  agreed  (with  a 
protest  against  betting)  to  hold  the  stakes. 

I  would  have  given  much  for  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  Miss  Burnham  and  my  master  to 
gether,  that  I  might  judge  for  myself  whether 
or  not  there  were  grounds  for  the  rumors  afloat 
in  the  servants'  hall.  But,  as  I  had,  of  course, 
no  duties  to  perform  which  would  bring  me 
among  the  guests,  I  never  for  a  moment 
dreamed  that  I  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to 
secure  such  a  chance.  What  was  my  delight, 
then,  when  upon  the  very  next  day  the  coveted 
opportunity  was  offered  me  ! 


164 


CHAPTER    VII 

MR.  HARLEY  did  arrive  that  afternoon. 
While  I  was  dressing  my  master  for 
dinner  he  knocked  at  the  door  and  came  in. 
The  gentlemen  had  already  met  below-stairs, 
but  a  renewal  of  greetings  was  now  warmly 
exchanged  between  them. 

Mr.  Harley  was  looking  finely.  Evidently 
his  ocean  voyages  had  had  results  quite  con 
trary  to  those  I  had  hoped  for.  The  resem 
blance  which  I  had  used  to  think  existed 
between  him  and  my  master  was  now  scarcely 
perceptible  excepting  as  regarded  height,  color 
ing,  and  general  aspect,  for  in  the  same  ratio 
in  which  Mr.  Harley  had  grown  bronzed, 
strong,  and  healthy  my  master  had  become 
thin,  wan,  and  pale. 

I  was  quite  surprised  that  I  had  not  noticed 
before  the  change  which  had  taken  place  in 
him.  But,  on  thinking  it  over  since,  I  have 
concluded  that  his  high  spirits  blinded  me 
to  his  physical  condition.  Now,  beside  Mr. 
Harley  he  appeared  like  shadow  beside  sub- 
165 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

stance,  and  I  was  quite  shocked  to  see  how 
low  he  had  got  to  be  beneath  my  very  eyes. 

Mr.  Harley  had  evidently  noticed  it  at  once, 
for  he  now  excused  his  visit  by  remarking, — 

"I  say,  Courty,  old  man,  I  dropped  in  for 
just  a  minute  to  ask  what  you  have  been  doing 
with  yourself.  You're  looking  awfully  seedy, 
old  chap  ;  and  we  can't  have  that,  you  know." 

He  was  evidently  considerably  concerned, 
but  Mr.  Jaffrey  laughed  his  anxiety  away. 

"Seedy!"  he  repeated.  "  Oh-er,  you've 
been  associating  with-er  sailors  for  a  week  or 
so,  Harley,  and-er  are  not  used  to  our  refined 
social  pallor,  that's  all.  I'm  no  end  fit,  old 
chappie,  and-er  putting  in  a  quite  awfully  good 
time  down  here." 

"  I  see  the  freeze-out  still  continues,"  Mr. 
Harley  said,  with  an  attempt  at  a  careless 
laugh.  "B-r-r-r!  I  positively  shivered  when 
Key  and  Bettall  greeted  me." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  turned  to  me. 

"You  may-er  go,  Hanby,"  he  said.  "  I  can 
finish  without  you." 

"Very  good,  sir,"  I  replied,  and  went — as 
far  as  the  other  side  of  the  door,  where,  apply 
ing  my  ear  close  to  the  key-hole,  I  could  easily 
hear  the  conversation  that  took  place  within 
the  room. 

I  was  getting  terribly  nervous.  I  had 
dreaded  Mr.  Harley 's  return  beyond  words, 
1 66 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

for  I  felt  certain  that  an  open  rupture  must  soon 
take  place  between  him  and  the  men  who  con 
sidered  him  a  thief.  I  felt  that  I  had  made  an 
ass  of  myself  in  mixing  the  matter  up  so,  for 
if  I  had  used  my  brains  I  might  have  seen  that 
no  gentlemen  would  continue  to  treat  as  a 
friend  and  companion  a  man  under  such  a 
cloud  as  that  which  I  had  cast  over  Mr.  Harley. 

I  had  racked  my  brain  to  devise  some  way 
of  clearing  him,  but  in  vain.  I  had  distinctly 
assured  Mr.  Key  that  my  master  was  aware  of, 
and  had  even  discussed  with  me,  his  friend's 
guilt.  If  I  were  to  go  now  and  tell  him  that 
I  was  a  liar,  as,  for  my  master's  sake,  I  was 
willing  to  do,  he  would  of  course  at  once  begin 
an  investigation  as  to  my  motives  for  deceiving 
him. 

It  would  naturally  appear  to  him  that  I  had 
accused  Mr.  Harley  in  order  to  shield  some 
one  else.  Who  could  that  other  person  be  ? 
Myself?  Impossible.  I  might,  it  is  true,  have 
robbed  the  duchess,  but  it  was  quite  out  of  the 
question  that  I  could  also  have  stolen  Madame 
Caprices'  jewels,  having  been  without  oppor 
tunity  for  so  doing.  If  not  for  myself,  then 
for  whom  else  would  I  have  been  likely  to  go 
the  length  of  perjury  ?  For  my  master,  of 
course.  I  had  dwelt  strongly  upon  the  fact  of 
my  attachment  to  him  in  my  interview  with 
Mr.  Key,  and,  indeed,  I  was  aware  that  Mr. 
167 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Jaffrey  was  often  chaffed  on  the  subject  of  the 
somewhat  unusual  devotion  of  his  henchman, 
as  his  friends  termed  me. 

Once  let  the  faintest  suspicion  rest  upon  Mr. 
Jaffrey,  and  I  knew  how  rapidly  evidence  must 
accumulate  against  him.  The  description  of 
the  thief  given  by  the  medium  exactly  iden 
tified  him  ;  it  had  been  in  his  apartments  that 
the  duchess  had  last  been  positively  assured  of 
the  possession  of  her  diamonds  ;  he,  better 
than  any  other,  had  had  access  to  the  jewels 
of  Madame  Caprices,  having  been,  at  the  time 
of  their  loss,  playing  the  role  of  tame  cat  to 
that  lady  ;  one  of  those  very  jewels  had  been 
seen  by  several  men  in  his  possession  ;  he  had 
told  a  cock-and-bull  story  about  recovering  it, 
and  had  also  acknowledged  that  he  was  ac 
quainted,  intimately,  with  the  thief.  He  had 
even  attempted  to  gain  sympathy  for  the  latter, 
and  had  refused  to  disclose  his  name,  asseverat 
ing,  however,  that  Madame  Caprices  was  aware 
of  it.  Then  had  come  the  rupture  of  the  con 
nection  between  the  Senora  and  himself,  which 
had  been  much  commented  upon,  setting  gos 
sips  agog  for  some  days.  Not  that  the  two 
were  on  terms  of  absolute  enmity,  but  the  inti 
mate  relationship  hitherto  existing  between 
them  had  come  to  an  abrupt  conclusion. 

I  recognized  that  all  these  significant  facts 
made  up  a  pretty  large  pile  of  inflammable 
1 68 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

material  which  a  spark  of  suspicion  would  kin 
dle  into  a  blaze  that  would  shrivel  my  master's 
reputation  to  ashes.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
I,  who,  in  my  solicitude  for  Mr.  Jaffrey,  had 
drawn  him  into  a  position  a  thousand  times 
more  compromising  than  that  he  had  formerly 
occupied,  availed  myself  of  every  opportunity 
of  discovering  how  untenable  it  was  becoming. 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed  behind  me 
when  I  heard  my  master  say,  gravely, — 

"  See  here,  Harley,  really,  you  know,  I  don't 
think  this  is  any  longer  a-er  jesting  matter. 
There  is  a  prejudice  against  you  ;  I-er  con 
vinced  myself  of  that  during  your  absence, 
although-er,  try  as  I  would,  I  could  not  find 
out-er  what  has  occasioned  it.  Now-er,  I  think 
it  is  a  duty  you  owe  yourself  to-er  unearth  the 
cause  of  it." 

Then  Mr.  Harley  said,  very  quietly, — 

"  How  would  you  set  about  it,  Jaffrey  ?" 

And  my  master  replied,  ' '  By  going  to  Key 
or  Bettall  like  a  man,  and-er  asking  for  an 
explanation." 

There  was  a  suggestion  of  anger  in  Mr. 
Harley' s  voice  as  he  said,  quickly, — 

"  Your  words  would  imply  that  I  am  a  cow 
ard,  Jaffrey.  It  isn't  from  fear  that  I  hold  back 
from  demanding  an  explanation  from  those 
fellows  :  it  is  from  pride.  If  you  had  a  clear 
conscience  and  had  given  no  one  cause  for 
169 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

offence,  would  you  stoop  to  sue  for  their  rea 
sons  for  taking  it  ?' ' 

There  was  a  pause,  broken  finally  by  my 
master. 

"If  I  had  a  clear  conscience,"  he  said, 
slowly,  as  if  musing  to  himself,  "if — I — had 
— a  clear — conscience" — then,  suddenly,  "No, 
I'll  be  d — d  if  I'd  ask  reasons  of  any  man 
under  God's  heavens.  I'd  be  satisfied  with  the 
conscience,  Harley.  Old  man,  you're  right. 
Let  those  fellows  go  hang.  Concern  yourself 
no  more  about  them.  My  God  !  if  I  were  in 
your  place  I'd  snap  my  fingers  in  the  face  of 
all  creation." 

He  broke  off  abruptly,  and  I  don't  doubt 
that  Mr.  Harley  looked  the  surprise  his  tone 
indicated  as  ne  exclaimed, — 

"  In  my  place  !  Why,  Jaffrey,  what  do  you 
mean  by  that  ?  I  don't  know  that  my  place  is 
particularly  enviable." 

Mr.  Jaffrey  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  Don't 
you?"  he  said.  "Well,  I  do." 

' '  Just  how  ?' ' 

"You  stand  every  chance  of  winning  Miss 
Burnham." 

"You  still  think  me  mercenary  ?" 

"No;  I  think,  as  you  once   said,  no  man 
can  remain   mercenary   under   her  influence. 
And-er,   to  do  you  justice,   Harley,    I  never 
credited  you  with-er  mercenary  motives." 
170 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"Thank  you.  You  have  changed  your 
opinion  of  Miss  Burnham." 

"  No  ;  I  have  never  held  but  the  one." 

"Yet  you  used  to  avoid  her." 

' '  I  had  my  reasons ;  selfish,  prudential 
reasons." 

There  was  a  little  silence  ;  then  Mr.  Harley 
said,  with  some  passion  in  his  voice, — 

' '  Courty,  why  do  you  think  I  have  any 
chance  with  her?" 

"Why?"  my  master  flashed  out,  suddenly, 
— "why  ?  Good  heavens,  man,  you've  got  a 
tongue  in  your  head,  haven't  you  ?  and,  as  you 
say,  a  clear  conscience  ?  Why  shouldn't  you 
have  a  chance  with  her  ?  A  whole  body,  a 
clean  heart,  a  sound  brain,  an  honest  name, 
and  a  clear  conscience, — what  else  does  a  man 
want  to  win  a  woman  with  ?' ' 

I  had  never  heard  him  so  excited,  save  once. 
Had  Mr.  Harley  been  less  vitally  concerned 
with  the  subject  under  discussion,  he  could  not 
have  failed  to  be  surprised  at  his  warmth.  But 
it  apparently  did  not  impress  him,  for  he  re 
turned,  quickly, — 

"Then  why  don't  you  try  for  her  yourself?" 

His  question  pricked  my  master's  excitement. 
He  did  not  reply  to  it  at  once,  but  when  he  did 
every  spark  of  enthusiasm  was  gone  from  his 
voice.  It  sounded  dull,  flat,  and  lifeless. 

"Because,"  he  said,  with  an  attempt  at  a 
171 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

careless  laugh, — "  well-er,  because  a  better 
fellow  has-er  got  the-er  inside  track." 

"You  are  very  encouraging,"  said  Mr. 
Harley,  doubtfully;  "but,  if  that  is  so,  she 
might  at  least  have  been  at  home  to  welcome 
me  on  my  arrival,  instead  of  philandering  about 
the  countiy  with  another  man." 

"Such  women  as  she,  my  boy,  do  not  wear 
their  hearts  on  their  sleeves  for-er  daws  or 
country  jays  to  peck  at." 

Mr.  Harley  drew  a  deep  sigh. 

"Well,  God  knows  I  wish  you  maybe  right, 

Courty,  but ' '  I  heard  his  chair  creak  as  if 

he  were  rising  from  it,  and,  suspecting  that  he 
was  about  to  take  his  departure,  I  fled,  happy 
in  the  assurance  I  had  gained  that  the  sleeping 
dogs  were  to  be  left  to  lie,  undisturbed. 

I  said  at  the  conclusion  of  the  foregoing 
chapter  that  I  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity  which 
I  was  unexpectedly  afforded,  upon  the  following 
day,  of  observing  Miss  Burnham  and  Mr. 
Jaffrey  together.  If  the  occasion  in  anticipa 
tion  gave  me  cause  for  joy,  in  fulfilment  it  ren 
dered  me  the  most  miserable,  unhappy,  world- 
cursing  wretch  that  ever  walked  the  earth. 

Since  that  night  I  haven't  cared  a  farthing 
for  any  living  being.  I  wouldn't  put  out  a  fin 
ger  to  keep  a  blind  beggar  from  walking  into  a 
conflagration,  nor  would  I  step  a  pace  out  of 
my  way  to  save  an  infant  from  sure  death. 
172 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

There's  only  one  figure  on  my  horizon  now, 
and  that's  Jenkins  Hanby.  "After  me,"  as 
the  French  say,  "the  deluge." 

I've  tried  my  little  best  to  save  a  man  from 
destruction  and  failed,  signally.  What  little 
heart  I  ever  had  was  in  that  work,  and  now  I 
don't  care  a  fig  whether  the  fate  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  overtakes  the  world,  or  whether  it 
jogs  on  to  annihilation  in  its  own  way.  It's  all 
one  to  me. 

One  thing  I  will  say  here  and  now,  that  after 
that  final  catastrophe  I  cut  myself  loose  from 
high  society.  I  felt  it  was  no  place  for  me,  and 
perhaps  it,  also,  shared  my  sentiments.  I  just 
cut  adrift  from  every  one  I  had  ever  known 
while  in  Mr.  Jaffrey's  employ,  and  my  manner 
of  existence  since  then  concerns  nobody.  I 
might  have  made  a  very  comfortable  living  out 
of  Senora  Caprices,  but  some  of  my  master's 
queer  notions  kind  of  rooted  themselves  in  me, 
and  I  couldn't  quite  bring  myself  to  break  our 
former  agreement.  I've  done  many  worse 
things  than  that,  however,  and  I  know  I'm 
inconsistent — but  then  so  was  my  master,  and 
so  is  all  the  world,  for  that  matter. 

Don't  you  go  to  church  and  subscribe  liber 
ally  to  foreign  missions,  and  pass  negligently 
by  the  most  crying  cases  of  destitution  in  your 
daily  walks  ?  Don't  you  belong  to  the  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  and 
173 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

while  you  are  attending  its  meetings  keep  your 
horses  awaiting  your  leisure  in  a  temperature 
cold  enough  to  freeze  a  polar  bear  ?  Don't  you 
protest  against  the  evils  of  gambling,  encour 
age  efforts  to  put  down  policy-shops  and  faro- 
banks,  and  yet  draw  your  daily  income  from 
the  biggest  gambling-shop  in  the  world, — the 
Stock-Exchange  ? 

Inconsistent,  my  story  and  its  hero  ?  The 
charge  is  a  true  one,  but  it  is  equally  applicable 
to  the  life  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
that  reads  these  pages.  Show  me  any  thor 
oughly  consistent  life,  and  I'll  back  down  and 
call  the  inconsistencies  of  Mr.  Jaffrey'  s  charac 
ter  unnatural  ;  but  you  can't  do  it,  and,  as  you 
can't,  we'll  say  no  more  about  it  and  let  the 
matter  drop. 

I  have  no  desire  to  defend  or  excuse  him  for 
anything  he  ever  did.  I  don't  pretend  to  say 
that  a  system  of  thieving  from  your  intimate 
friends  is  admirable,  or  to  be  commended  as  a 
means  of  earning  your  living,  and  I  don't  be 
lieve  myself  that  he  would  have  advised  any 
one's  adopting  it.  Just  how  he  came  to  do  so 
I  don't  know,  nor  does  the  world — and  I  don't 
care.  But  this  I  will  say,  that  I  don't  believe 
there  lives  in  the  world  to-day  a  being  who  is 
mentally,  morally,  or  physically  the  worse  for 
the  inconsistencies  of  Mr.  Jaffrey' s  character, 
while  I  could  name  hundreds  who  have  profited 
174 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

thereby.  His  depredations  were  committed 
against  those  who  could  well  afford  to  lose  what 
he  took,  while  his  bounty  left  for  his  own  use 
but  a  small  proportion  of  his  unlawful  gains. 

And  he  suffered  !  Let  no  one  close  this 
book  with  the  impression  that  Courtice  Jaffrey 
escaped  scot-free  from  the  penalty  of  his  acts. 
I  would  stake  my  life  on  the  assertion  that  no 
social  malefactor  ever  endured  greater  martyr 
dom  than  he  went  through  after  his  first  meet 
ing  with  Elinor  Burnham.  I  had  lived  pretty 
close  to  him  ever  since  entering  his  service, 
and  better  than  any  one  else  I  could  interpret 
his  moods. 

I  am  very  confident  of  the  nature  and  sub 
ject  of  those  long  reveries  which  used  to  hold 
him  sitting  in  lonely  solitude  before  his  hearth 
late  into  the  night,  after  he  began  somewhat  to 
shun  society. 

Do  you  think  they  were  pleasant  and  joyous  ? 
Does  a  man  ever  choose  to  sit  brooding  by 
himself  for  long  hours  over  happy  subjects  ? 
Isn't  it  a  natural  impulse  to  chatter  of  your  joys 
to  some  one  else,  probably  a  horribly  bored 
victim  ? 

Does  a  man,  after  indulging  in  pleasurable 
reminiscences  which  last  half  the  night,  lie 
tossing  restlessly  upon  his  bed  the  other  half? 
Does  a  man  happy  in  his  mind  grow  thin, 
wan,  pale  ?  Do  lines  begin  to  crease  his  fore- 
175 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

head,  and  little  wrinkles  to  come  about  his 
eyes  ? 

Oh,  I  could  give  you  a  thousand  proofs  of 
the  agony  of  mind  my  master  suffered  during 
those  weeks.  But  what  is  the  use  ?  They 
wouldn't  change  your  righteous  verdict  against 
him.  He  may  have  suffered,  you  would  say, 
and  no  doubt  he  did,  but  so  he  ought.  He 
may  have  had  some  noble  impulses — who  is 
wholly  without  them  ? — and  possibly  he  was  of 
a  beneficent  nature,  with  a  talent  for  winning 
affection  ;  but — he  was  nevertheless  a  thief, 
and  so  a  reprobate. 

Well,  doubtless  you  are  right.  I  don't  care. 
I  knew  him  and  loved  him,  and  that's  all  I 
wish  to  say  about  it. 

Now  to  go  back  to  my  story. 

It  was  a  little  after  dinner  upon  the  day 
following  Mr.  Harley's  arrival  when,  as  a  group 
of  us  were  chatting  in  the  servants'  hall,  a 
message  was  brought  to  me  by  the  butler. 

It  had  been  a  miserable  day,  a  pouring  rain 
with  high  winds,  and  I  fancy  that  all  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  had  been  pretty  considerably 
taxed  for  the  general  amusement. 

There  had  been  billiards,  whist,  singing, 
recitations,  and  dancing  in  the  billiard-room, 
to  say  nothing  of  probable  flirtations  without 
number,  but  a  rainy  day  in  the  country  is, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  a  long 
176 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

one,  and  lucky  is  that  hostess  who  has  other 
resources  than  those  of  her  guests  to  fall  back 
upon. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  when  Rawson 
appeared. 

"Mr.  Hanby,  Mr.  Jaffrey  wishes  to  speak 
with  you  in  the  hall,"  he  said. 

I  at  once  responded  to  the  summons,  and 
found  Mr.  Jaffrey,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Ley- 
land,  awaiting  me.  As  I  presented  myself 
before  them  my  master  said, — 

"  Er-Hanby,  Mrs.  Leyland  has  done  you  the 
honor  of  asking  you  to-er  entertain  her  guests 
for  a  little  while  with-er  an  exhibition  of  some 
of  your  tricks  at-er — at  cards." 

I  bowed.     "Very  good,  sir." 

"You  are  quite  willing  to  do  it,  Hanby?" 
Mrs.  Leyland  asked,  graciously. 

"I  feel  complimented,  madam,  by  the  re 
quest,"  I  replied,  in  my  finest  manner. 

"Then  will  you  go  at  once  to  the  library? 
Rawson  will  show  you  the  way,  and  we  will 
join  you  there. — It  will  be  more  cosy  than  in 
the  drawing-room,"  she  added,  turning  to  Mr. 
Jaffrey. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait  in  the  fine,  hand 
somely  appointed  room  before  my  audience 
came  trooping  in.  The  first  to  appear  were 
Mr.  Jaffrey  and  Miss  Burnham,  who  were  some 
what  in  advance  of  the  rest,  and  as  they  came 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

slowly  sauntering  in  I  thought  what  a  finely 
matched  pair  they  looked. 

My  master's  high  spirits  seemed  to  have 
deserted  him  since  Mr.  Harley's  arrival,  and 
to-night  he  was  looking  especially  tired  and 
wan,  yet  there  was  about  him  a  very  marked 
air  of  distinction,  which,  if  his  extraction  was 
lowly,  as  I  fancy  was  the  case,  was  a  special 
gift  of  the  gods.  It  rendered  him  remarkable 
even  among  the  most  highly  born.  The  air  of 
lassitude  which  characterized  him  always  in 
greater  or  less  degree  was  to-night  more  than 
usually  prominent,  and  the  blue  eyes,  which 
took  on  a  peculiar  glow  of  suppressed  passion 
when  they  rested  upon  Miss  Burnham's  face, 
wore,  otherwise,  a  distant,  weary,  harassed 
look  that  spoke  volumes  to  me. 

The  girl  beside  him  looked  like  a  fair  young 
goddess.  She  wore  a  gown  of  cream-white 
satin,  made  in  a  peculiarly  loose  style,  the  like 
of  which  I  was  familiar  with  in  the  fashion- 
plates  of  the  newspapers,  under  the  title  of 
"An  Empire  gown."  It  was  cut  sufficiently 
low  to  disclose  her  full  white  neck,  but  stopped 
modestly  short  of  any  vulgar  display.  Her 
ornaments  were  pearls,  a  couple  of  strings 
about  the  throat  fastened  with  a  clasp  of  brill 
iants,  two  or  three  pins,  confining  at  the  top  of 
the  bodice  a  length  of  rarely  beautiful  old  lace 
that  fell  from  bust  to  toe,  and  just  above  her 
178 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

brow,  resting  on  that  line  which  divided  the 
waving  masses  of  her  dark  hair,  a  lustrous  star, 
held  in  place  by  a  slender  fillet  of  the  same 
softly  gleaming  gem. 

Her  round  young  arms,  with  their  lovely 
flesh  tints,  hung  loosely  before  her,  the  hands 
toying  unconsciously  with  a  cluster  of  fragrant 
freesia,  which  she  had  evidently  taken  from 
the  lace  upon  her  bosom,  for  later  I  marked  a 
slight  green  stain  just  to  the  left  of  the  neck, 
where  it  had  probably  lain.  Her  face  was  a 
little  flushed  and  downcast,  the  eyes  resting 
upon  the  flowers,  which  I  am  sure  received  but 
little  of  her  attention. 

Neither  perceived  me  as  they  entered  the 
room,  for  I  was  standing  somewhat  in  the  back 
ground,  and  they  continued  for  two  or  three 
moments  the  conversation  in  which  they  were 
engaged. 

"It  is  very  marked, ' '  Miss  Burnham  was 
saying,  —  "one  cannot  help  noticing  it, — and 
very  strange." 

"  It  must  not  influence  you,"  my  master  re 
plied  ;  adding,  earnestly,  ' '  promise  me  that  it 
shall  not.  Merton  Harley  is  a  splendid  fellow, 
a  good,  clean,  honorable  man,  to  whom  I 
would  willingly  intrust  the  life  of  any  woman  I 
— in  whose  welfare  I  was  interested." 

The  girl  looked  quickly,  involuntarily,  up,  at 
the  correction.  It  was  an  impulsive,  uncon- 
179 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

scious  challenge  her  eyes  flashed  into  his.    But 
my  master  did  not  accept  it. 

"Will  you  promise  me  that  nothing  shall 
prejudice  you  against  him  ?  Remember,  it  is  a 
cowardly,  underhanded  attack  these  fellows  are 
making  upon  him.  I  have  tried  by  every  means 
in  my  power  to  induce  them  to  come  forward 
and  make  some  open  accusation  which  Harley 
could  meet." 

"And  they  refuse  to  do  so  ?" 

"  Well,  not  in  so  many  words.  They  shrug 
their  shoulders  and  look  significant,  as  much  as 
to  say,  '  There  are  none  so  blind  as  those  who 
won't  see.'  ' 

They  had  paused  now  beside  the  fireplace, 
in  which  big  logs  were  burning.  Miss  Burn- 
ham  gazed  for  a  minute  into  their  blazing 
depths,  and  then  said,  slowly, — 

"  Mr.  Jaffrey,  you  were  not  at  the  seance  in 
Mr.  Despard's  studio  :  have  you  ever  been 
told  anything  about  it  ?" 

My  master  replied  that  he  had. 

"Did  you  know  that  that  curious  woman 
made  a  sort  of  veiled  charge  of  robbery  against 
Mr.  Harley?" 

Mr.  Jaffrey  bowed. 

"  Do  you  think" — the  girl  hesitated — "it  is 
quite  ridiculous,  I  know,  but  do  you  think  that 
could  possibly  have  prejudiced  any  one  against 
him  ?' ' 

1 80 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Mr.  Jaffrey  looked  utter  amazement. 

"Why,  no,"  he  exclaimed.  "I  never 
dreamed  that  it  could No,  it  is  impos 
sible.  Attach  any  importance  to  such  testi 
mony  as  that?  No,  it  would  be  incredible." 
And  yet  he  frowned,  and  it  was  evident  the 
thought  troubled  him. 

His  companion  gave  a  little  laugh.  "Of 
course  it  would  be  absurd,"  she  said.  "  How 
could  any  one  suspect  a  gentleman  of  being  a 
thief?" 

One  of  the  wretched,  treacherous  impulses 
of  which  my  master  was  occasionally  a  victim 
assailed  him  now.  He  took  a  step  forward, 
and,  bending,  looked  eagerly  into  the  lovely 
face  lifted  to  his. 

"And  yet,"  he  asked,  hurriedly,  "if  it  were 
true, — if  this  man,  loving  you  with  all  the  love 
a  strong  man's  heart  can  feel  for  a  woman, 
were  to  be  proved  a  thief, — what  then  ?  what 
then  ?  You  would  loathe,  scorn,  condemn 
him,  I  suppose  ?  There  could  be  no  extenu 
ating  circumstances  of  need  or  necessity,  of 
desperate  straits  requiring  desperate  means  for 
relief,  of  the  emergencies  and  wants  of  others 
dependent  upon  the  man's  otherwise  fruitless 
endeavors,  to  soften  your  judgment  of  him,  to 
win  your  sympathy  for  him?" 

There  was  a  moment's  breathless  pause.     I 
think  the  girl  suspected  that  there  was  some- 
iSi 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

thing  at  the  root  of  Mr.  Jaffrey's  hot  elo 
quence,  but  I  also  think  she  felt  it  had  to 
do  with  Mr.  Harley,  never  for  a  moment  sus 
pecting  the  speaker's  intimate  interest  in  her 
answer. 

She  was  but  a  young  girl,  with  all  a  well-bred 
young  girl's  fine  intolerance  of  dishonor  of 
any  sort,  and  as  she  delivered  her  answer  she 
threw  her  head  up  and  confronted  her  com 
panion  with  all  the  uncompromising  severity 
of  an  incorruptible  young  judge. 

"No,"  she  said,  her  voice  ringing  clear  and 
scornful  upon  the  air.  "  No,  I  would  have  no 
sympathy  for  such  a  man.  A  thief !  An  un 
scrupulous,  dishonest  wretch,  who  takes  advan 
tage  of  the  privileges  of  association  with  re 
spectable  people,  with  ladies  and  gentlemen 
who  trust  in  his  integrity  and  confide  in  his 
honor,  to  rob,  plunder,  betray  them  !  The 
love  of  such  a  scoundrel !  Why,  Mr.  Jaffrey, 
I  should  esteem  it  an  insult,  a  degradation,  a 
humiliation.  I  should  loathe  myself  for  having 
inspired  it,  feeling  that  there  must  be  something 
wrong  within  me  to  have  attracted  such  a  creat 
ure  !  Oh, ' ' — she  broke  off  with  a  little  shudder, 
— "do  not  let  us  talk  of  such  a  thing.  I  am 
getting  quite  uncomfortable  at  the  mere  sug 
gestion."  Then,  as  a  sudden  thought  seemed 
to  strike  her,  ' '  Why  did  you  ask  me  such  a 
queer  question,  Mr.  Jaffrey?"  she  continued, 
182 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

gravely.  ' '  You  have  told  me  there  was  noth 
ing  even  questionable  about  Mr.  Harley,  and 
yet — you  have  aroused  my  suspicions." 

Mr.  Jaffrey's  self-control  was  marvellous. 
His  voice  was  quite  steady  as  he  replied, — 

"  I  am  sorry  I  have  done  such  an  unwar 
rantable  thing.  Harley  is  all  I  have  said  of 
him.  I  was  thinking  of — a  man  I  once  knew, 
no  one  in  whom  you  have  a  shadow  of  in 
terest.  That  is  all.  You  will  promise  me 
never  to  believe  anything  against  Merton 
Harley?" 

She  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  "Oh, 
yes,"  she  said.  She  took  a  couple  of  sprays 
of  freesia  from  her  cluster.  "There  is  my 
promise,  signed,  sealed,  and  delivered." 

He  took  them  from  her  and  put  them  in  the 
place  of  the  large  boutonniere  of  white  carna 
tions  which  he  had  been  wearing.  Miss  Burn- 
ham  was  beginning  upon  some  irrelevant 
subject,  when  the  sound  of  approaching  voices 
became  audible. 

"Here  they  come,"  she  said,  interrupting 
herself.  "  I  was  wondering  where  they  were. 
And  your  man,  Mr.  Jaffrey,  he  does  not  seem 
to  put  in  an  appearance.  Hadn't  you  better 
ring  for  him  ?' ' 

My  master  was  about  placing  his  hand  upon 
the  bell,  when,  passing  quickly  and  noiselessly 
out  of  a  door  behind  me,  I  made  a  conspicuous 
183 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

re-entry.  Mr.  Jaffrey  observed  my  entrance 
and  nodded. 

"  Ah-er  there  you  are,  Hanby,"  he  said,  in 
his  usual  indifferent  manner. 

The  ladies  and  gentlemen  disposed  them 
selves  about  the  table  behind  which  I  stood 
with  my  cards.  Mr.  Harley  sat  upon  one  side 
of  Miss  Burnham  and  Mr.  Key  upon  the  other, 
while  my  master,  toward  whom  the  girl  had 
cast  a  look  of  invitation  as  she  took  her  seat, 
disregarding  the  glance,  remained  standing, 
withdrawn  somewhat  into  the  background.  In 
response  to  a  suggestion  that  he  should  come 
forward,  he  replied  that  he  knew  the  tricks  by 
heart,  having  often,  when  bored,  had  me  in  to 
amuse  him  with  them. 

It  was  a  very  effective  scene  which  I  con 
fronted,  and  I  can  recall  it  distinctly  whenever 
I  choose  to  do  so.  It  made  an  indelible  im 
pression  upon  my  memory. 

There  was  the  handsome  dark  setting  of  the 
library,  panelled  and  raftered  with  rich  ma 
hogany  that  caught  and  ruddily  reflected  the 
brilliant  light  from  many  marvellously  clothed 
lamps  which,  with  the  hot  flame  of  the  fire, 
alone  illumined  the  room.  In  the  foreground 
were  the  women,  gorgeously  apparelled,  and 
for  the  most  part  fair  of  face  and  form,  with 
glittering  jewels  and  smiling  features  ;  and  the 
men,  the  very  flower  of  metropolitan  life, 
184 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

goodly  of  appearance,  exquisite  of  costume, 
courteous  of  manner.  There  also,  the  chief 
feature  in  the  whole  scene  to  my  eyes,  was  the 
tall,  distinguished  figure  of  my  master  looming 
up  distinctly  behind  the  group,  and  a  notably 
conspicuous  member  of  it,  being  the  only  erect 
person,  besides  myself,  in  the  room. 

His  pale  face  struck  wretched  forebodings  to 
my  mind  :  I  do  not  know  what  I  feared  or 
apprehended  as  I  looked  at  it.  It  wore  an 
expression  suggestive  of  tragedy. 

I  did  my  tricks,  not  as  well  as  usual,  for  my 
hands  bungled  wretchedly,  but  my  audience 
did  not  discover  my  awkwardness  and  were 
pleased  to  express  warm  approval  of  my  skill. 
I  was  in  the  middle  of  the  best  in  my  repertoire, 
when  I  was  suddenly  interrupted. 

Miss  Burnham  had  given  a  little  cry  of  sur 
prise.  Of  course  the  general  attention  was 
diverted  from  me  to  her. 

' '  What  is  the  matter  ?' '  some  one  asked. 

"Oh,  nothing.  I  am  sorry  to  have  inter 
rupted  you  all.  The  fact  is,  I've  just  dis 
covered  a  loss,  and  my  exclamation  was 
involuntary." 

"What  have  you  lost?"  a  voice  from  the 
crowd  inquired. 

"An  old  pearl  marguerite  which  I  prize 
highly,"  the  girl  replied,  moving  her  chair 
back  a  little  and  stooping  to  search  the  floor, 
185 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

shaking  out  the  loose  folds  of  her  lace  drapery 
as  she  did  so.  "  It  belonged  to  my  mother," 
she  added,  as  if  to  excuse  her  perturbation. 

An  immediate  search  was  begun,  notwith 
standing  the  girl's  protestations,  and  I  stood, 
my  occupation  gone,  watching  the  scene.  I 
had  noticed  that  when  Miss  Burnham  an 
nounced  her  loss,  Mr.  Key  flashed  a  quick, 
suspicious  glance  at  Mr.  Harley,  and  my  heart 
stood  still.  When  the  general  uprising  took 
place,  Mr.  Key  went  over  to  where  Mr.  Bettall 
was  standing,  a  few  paces  distant.  He  drew  him 
aside  from  the  searchers,  and  the  two,  unnoticed 
by  the  others,  conferred  a  moment  apart. 

Suddenly,  as  the  sympathetic  men  and 
women  were  about  abandoning  the  search  as 
vain,  and  in  the  midst  of  their  volubly  ex 
pressed  exclamations  of  condolence,  Mr.  Key, 
with  an  angry,  determined  look  on  his  face, 
came  forward  and  addressed  his  hostess. 

"Pardon  me  if  I  make  a  suggestion,  Mrs. 
Leyland,"  he  said,  in  a  clear,  cutting  tone. 
"  Miss  Burnham  has  met  with  a  heavy,  an 
irreparable  loss.  I  have  good  reason  to  think 
that  she  has  not  been  the  victim  of  accident, 
but  of  intention.  I  am  firmly  convinced  that 
she  has  been  robbed,  and  that  the  thief  is  in 
this  room  at  this  moment." 

The  effect  of  his  words  was  dramatic.  His 
announcement  called  forth  many  exclamations 
186 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

of  surprise,  astonishment,  and  alarm.  The 
women  drew  closer  together  and  peered  appre 
hensively  into  the  shadowy  corners  of  the 
library  ;  the  men  muttered  low  ejaculations  to 
themselves.  Mrs.  Leyland  regarded  him  with 
dismay. 

"You  think  a  thief  is  concealed  here  !"  she 
exclaimed.  "  Why,  Mr.  Key  !" 

The  latter  shook  his  head.  He  was  pretty 
white.  A  man  cannot  make  unmoved  a  charge 
such  as  he  contemplated  making. 

"  No,  madam  ;  I  think  a  thief  is  uncon 
cealed,  at  large,  here." 

He  glared  at  Mr.  Harley.  His  glance  was 
so  offensive,  so  significant,  that  the  latter  could 
not  mistake  its  purport.  He  stepped  forward 
and  confronted  Mr.  Key.  There  were  anger, 
resentment,  indignation,  in  his  look,  but  there 
was  no  guilt.  Any  fool  might  have  seen 
that. 

"What  is  your  meaning,  sir?"  he  asked, 
haughtily.  "Your  look  and  manner  would 
seem  to  accuse  me." 

"  Then  they  do  not  belie  my  intention,"  the 
other  replied,  hotly. 

There  was  a  general  movement  of  consterna 
tion,  ^ome  man,  a  stranger  to  me,  stepped 
forward  and  laid  a  protesting  hand  on  Mr. 
Key's  shoulder. 

"Gordon,  hold  on,"  he  said:  "this  is  no 
187 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

place  for  a  scene.  Remember,  there  are  ladies 
present." 

But  it  was  quite  too  late  for  interference. 
The  stubbornness  which  had  gained  Mr.  Key 
the  title  of  "God's  Donkey"  was  rampant; 
besides  which,  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected 
that  a  man  so  publicly  accused  as  Mr.  Harley 
had  been  would  permit  even  a  brief  space  to 
elapse  before  meeting  the  charge. 

His  face  was  white  to  the  lips,  but  there  was 
a  look  of  satisfaction  in  his  eyes.  I  think, 
although  the  indictment  was  so  monstrous  a 
one,  it  was  a  relief  to  him  to  confront  it.  He 
bore  himself  admirably.  If  there  had  been 
even  a  germ  of  suspicion  bred  in  any  mind 
present  by  Mr.  Key's  words,  his  demeanor 
must  have  killed  it. 

He  cast  one  glance  at  Mr.  Key,  scornful, 
resentful,  disdainful,  and  then  stepped  forward 
to  Mrs.  Leyland. 

"Madam,"  he  said,  in  a  calm,  even  tone, 
"I  am  your  guest.  I  regret  that  even  inno 
cently  and  involuntarily  I  should  be  the  cause 
of  so  unseemly  a  disturbance  beneath  your 
roof.  I  do  not  know  if  this  gentleman  is  mad, 
or  what  grounds  he  has  for  so  singular  a  delu 
sion.  However,  so  grave  an  accusation  must 
be  backed  by  some  sort  of  evidence.  It  is 
most  unfortunate  to  be  obliged  to  turn  a  cheery 
house-party  into  a  board  of  inquiry,  but  neces- 
188 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

sity  obliges  me  to  ask  you  to  demand  of  Mr. 
Key  his  reasons  for  this  most  strange  attack 
upon  me." 

Mrs.  Leyland,  a  woman  of  considerable 
presence  and  dignity,  bowed. 

"A  strange  attack,  indeed,"  she  answered, 
in  her  usual  cordial  tones.  Then,  turning  to 
Mr.  Key,  she  continued,  coldly,  "You  have 
insulted  one  of  my  guests,  sir,  most  deeply, 
and,  I  cannot  but  think,  most  unwarrantably. 
I  must  ask  you  to  state  the  grounds  of  your 
suspicion." 

I  fancy  Mr.  Key  began  to  feel  that  he  had 
ill-timed  his  attack.  Probably  under  other  cir 
cumstances  he  would  have  refrained  from  an 
assault  in  the  presence  of  such  an  audience, 
but,  undoubtedly,  jealousy  had  obscured  his 
better  judgment.  It  was  now  too  late,  how 
ever,  for  him  to  back  down. 

He  acknowledged  Mrs.  Ley  land's  rebuke 
with  a  bow. 

"  I  regret  having  acted  from  impulse,  Mrs. 
Leyland,  and  must  ask  you  to  pardon  my 
having  done  so,"  he  said,  "but  I  have  for  a 
considerable  time  reproached  myself  with  being 
in  a  manner  accessory  to  this  man's  crimes. 
I  could  not  allow  him  to  commit  another  un- 
exposed.  I  have  excellent  and  incontestable 
evidence  that  he  is  the  thief  that  robbed  the 
Duchess  of  Clayborough  of  her  diamonds  and 
189 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

Senora  Caprices  of  her  jewels.     My  witnesses 
to  the  truth  of  this  statement  are  present. ' ' 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  sensation  his 
words  produced.  Horror,  incredulity,  amaze 
ment,  were  written  on  every  face.  The  women 
fairly  gasped  as  they  listened.  Mr.  Harley 
alone  showed  little  emotion.  A  smile  curved 
his  handsome  lips.  I  think  he  thought  the  man 
really  mad. 

But  among  his  audience  were  two  whose  very 
souls  quaked  and  trembled  as  he  spoke.  I  was 
one  ;  the  other  was  my  master. 

I  glanced  at  Mr.  Jaffrey.  A  mask  would 
have  shown  more  feeling  than  his  face.  Cold, 
pale,  and  still,  it  was  as  if  the  heart  that  should 
have  given  it  animation  lay  dead  in  its  owner's 
breast.  I  followed  the  direction  of  his  look  ;  it 
was  fixed  on  Elinor  Burnham,  who  stood  with 
trembling  limbs  and  white,  frightened  face  a 
little  aloof  from  the  others  in  the  shadow  of  a 
tall  slender  pedestal  which  supported  a  marble 
bust,  with  the  material  of  which  her  face  vied  in 
color. 

The  charge  was  so  unexpected  that  for  a  few 
moments  no  one,  not  even  the  man  who  was 
its  object,  had  words  wherewith  to  reply  to  it. 
Before  any  one  found  tongue,  Rawson  appeared 
in  the  door-way,  a  silver  salver  in  his  hand. 
Upon  it  lay  a  pale  yellow  envelope. 

He  approached  my  master. 
190 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"  For  you,  sir,"  he  said,  presenting  the  tray. 

Mechanically  Mr.  Jaffrey  took  up  the  tele 
gram  and  tore  off  the  cover.  He  ran  his  eyes 
quickly  over  the  contents,  and  I  saw  his  lips 
press  tightly  upon  each  other.  With  a  sudden, 
spasmodic  movement  he  crushed  the  paper  in 
his  hand,  and  as  he  looked  up  his  glance  en 
countered  that  of  Miss  Burnham  fixed  on  him 
solicitously.  I  shall  never  forget  the  expres 
sion  in  his  eyes.  I  hate  to  think  of  it  even  now. 

The  girl,  meeting  it,  started  forward. 

"You  have  bad  news  !"  she  exclaimed,  with 
tender  concern.  "  Oh,  what  is  it  ?" 

He  smiled. 

"Not  so  bad,"  he  replied,  in  a  level,  un 
moved  voice.  "  It  is  from  Mary  Jermyn,  my 
cousin  :  my  mother  is  dead, — that  is  all ;"  and, 
waving  her  aside,  he  stepped  forward  into  the 
little  circle,  which  by  this  time  had  partially  re 
covered  from  its  stupefaction. 

As  he  advanced,  some  among  them  mur 
mured  a  few  absent,  conventional  words  ex 
pressive  of  their  sympathy,  but  it  was  apparent 
that  their  minds  were  too  much  engrossed  with 
a  livelier  subject  of  interest  to  have  noted  the 
seeming  indifference  of  his  reply  to  Miss  Burn- 
ham.  The  girl,  however,  looking  as  if  he  had 
dealt  her  a  blow,  shrank  back  against  the 
pedestal,  while  I,  for  an  instant,  even  forgot  my 
overwhelming  apprehension  in  sheer  amaze.  So 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

it  was  Mr.  Jaffrey'  s  mother,  and  not  his  wife, 
that  had  been  the  object  of  his  devotion.  "  Oh, 
ass  !  you,  Jenkins  Hanby  !"  I  thought. 

Mr.  Harley  had  waited  a  bit  for  the  condo 
lences  to  cease.  He  now  said,  addressing  him 
self  wholly  to  his  hostess, — 

"Will  you  be  so  good,  Mrs.  Leyland,  as  to 
ask  the  gentleman  to  produce  his  witnesses  ?' ' 

The  lady  looked  toward  Mr.  Key. 

"Certainly,"  he  replied  ;  then,  turning  sud 
denly  to  Mr.  Jaffrey,  "Jaffrey,"  he  continued, 
"you  have  shielded  this  man  long  enough. 
The  time  has  come  for  you  to  give  him  up  to 
the  law." 

My  master  looked  at  the  speaker  in  dull  un- 
comprehension. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  he  asked. 

' '  I  mean  that  you  know  him  to  be  a  thief. 
Your  man,  there,  told  me  so.  I  require  that 
you  withdraw  your  protection  from  him  and 
bring  him  to  justice." 

A  gleam  of  intelligence  came  into  Mr.  Jaf 
frey' s  face.  He  turned  and  looked  at  me. 
The  others,  surprised  afresh,  followed  his  ex 
ample.  It  was  apparent  that  my  presence  in 
the  room  had  been  forgotten. 

Mr.  Jaffrey  again  addressed  himself  to  Mr. 
Key. 

"You  affirm  that  my  man  told  you  that  I 

said  Merton  Harley  had  robbed  the  Duchess 

192 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

of    Clayborough   and   Senora   Caprices  ?' '    he 
asked,  in  a  slow,  measured  tone. 

"I  do." 

My  master  again  turned  in  my  direction. 

"Hanby,"  he  ordered,  "step  forward. 
Now,"  as  I  fulfilled  his  command,  "you  have 
heard  what  this  gentleman  says  :  is  it  true  ?' ' 

I  quailed  before  his  look.  I  saw  determina 
tion  plainly  written  in  his  eyes.  The  game 
was  up.  I  must  face  the  situation. 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  briefly. 

' '  You  knew  at  the  time  that  you  were  speaking 
falsely, — that  I  never  said  anything  of  the  kind?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"You  did  it,  I  presume,  to  shield  some  one 
else, — the  real  thief?" 

His  tone  was  as  uncompromising  as  his  words. 
Again  I  assented. 

He  gazed  at  me  a  moment.  Great  God  ! 
what  a  look  was  in  his  eyes  !  It  was  as  if  he 
would  say,  "  I  know  what  you  meant  to  do. 
I  understand,  and  love  you  for  it,  but — oh, 
Hanby,  Hanby  !" 

Then  he  said  aloud,  coldly  and  sternly, — 

"  Very  well.  Now  you  may  tell  these  ladies 
and  gentlemen  who  that  real  thief  is." 

I  saw  a  chance  of  saving  him,  and  seized 
upon  it.     I  threw  all  the  entreaty  I  could  com 
mand  into  my  look,  beseeching  him  mutely 
not  to  contradict  me,  and  then  said,  firmly, — 
13  193 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

"I,  Jenkins  Hanby,  am  the  thief,  sir." 

"You  lie!  You  are  again  attempting  to 
shield  another.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this 
man  is  not  to  be  depended  upon  :  do  not  heed 
him.  The  real  thief  who  robbed  the  Duchess 
of  Clayborough  and  Senora  Caprices,  who  has 
stolen  right  and  left  from  among  you,  who  has 
availed  himself  of  a  marvellous  gift  of  sleight 
of  hand  to  possess  himself  of  a  competency 
by  dispossessing  others,  is  not  Merton  Harley, 
is  not  Jenkins  Hanby  :  he  is  none  other  than 
I,  myself,  Courtice  Jaffrey. ' ' 

A  sudden  cry  of  terror  broke  ruthlessly  into 
his  speech.  It  was  so  quick,  so  insistent,  so 
compelling,  that  it  blotted  even  this  amazing 
confession  from  consideration. 

Before  any  one  realized  whence  it  came  or 
what  had  called  it  forth,  we  saw  my  master 
spring  forward  to  where  Miss  Burnham  had 
been  standing,  push  her  roughly  aside,  and  the 
next  instant,  that  same  instant,  indeed,  it 
seemed,  so  suddenly  the  whole  thing  happened, 
down  upon  his  own  head  came  crashing  the 
heavy  marble  bust,  crushing  him  to  the  ground 
beneath  its  great  weight. 

The  men  rushed  forward  to  release  him,  but 
I  was  the  first  to  reach  his  side. 

I  cannot  write  any  more  about  it.  He  was 
dead  :  that  is  enough.  The  weight  had  fallen 
upon  his  head,  striking  him  full  in  the  temples. 
194 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

The  girl  afterward  said  that  the  shock  of  his 
words  had  deprived  her  suddenly  of  all  strength. 
She  had  fallen  back  upon  the  slender  pedestal 
for  support.  It  had  given  beneath  her  weight ; 
she  had  felt  it  tottering,  had  tried  to  steady  it, 
had  felt  the  bust  rocking  upon  it  just  above 
her  head,  had  cried  out  in  sudden  alarm,  and 
then 

We  raised  him  and  laid  him  on  a  lounge. 
There  was  no  word  of  any  sort  from  the  men, 
and  the  deep  silence  of  the  room  was  broken 
only  by  the  sound  of  the  suppressed  weeping 
of  the  women. 

I  had  no  place  there.  Soon  I  should  be 
made  the  victim  of  a  regular  inquisition.  I 
could  do  but  one  thing  more  for  him,  and  then 
I  would  steal  quietly  away,  I  thought. 

I  ventured  to  approach  Miss  Burnham,  who 
was  standing  with  white  face  and  tightly  inter 
laced  fingers  on  one  side  of  the  still  figure, 
waiting  for  a  professional  verdict  before  be 
lieving  that  this  could  be  death.  I  held  in  my 
hand  a  crushed  cluster  of  freesia  that  I  had 
picked  up  from  beneath  the  pedestal. 

"Will  you  place  this  there?"  I  asked,  in  a 
low  tone,  and  laid  my  hand  an  instant  upon 
the  quiet  heart. 

She  transferred  her  glance  from  him  to  me, 
scarcely  noting  me,  however. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  dully,  with  white,  stiff  lips. 
195 


A    SOCIAL    HIGHWAYMAN 

I  waited  to  see  the  flowers  placed,  and  then 
stole  unnoticed  from  the  room,  packed  my  grip, 
and  left  the  house. 

I  have  no  more  to  tell.  The  story  is  ended. 
To  some  persons  it  may  seem  strange  that  I 
should  care  to  publish  these  details  of  the  life 
of  a  man  for  whom  I  cared  as  I  did  for  Mr. 
Jaffrey.  To  them  I  will  explain  how  I  came  to 
do  so. 

One  day  I  overheard  some  men  in  a  bar 
room  discussing  my  master's  career.  Their 
information  was  horribly  garbled  and  made  a 
bad  matter  a  thousand  times  worse  than  it 
really  was.  I  took  it  upon  me  to  set  them 
right.  Then  it  occurred  to  me  that  Mr.  Jaffrey' s 
friends  might  also  be  doing  him  scant  justice 
in  their  hearts,  and  that  I  might  incline  them 
to  a  more  lenient  judgment  of  him  by  relating 
certain  facts  as  I  knew  them  to  be. 

The  names  I  have  made  use  of  in  this  nar 
rative  are,  of  course,  fictitious,  but  the  inci 
dents  are  true,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  those 
of  my  master's  acquaintances  who  read  these 
pages  will  easily  identify  the  man  who  is  their 
subject. 

Hoping  that  what  I  have  written  may  breed 
in  their  minds  a  more  charitable  estimate  of 
the  character  of  one  whom  living  they  liked 
well,  even  if  in  death  they  condemned  and 
repudiated  him,  I  herewith  close  my  task. 
196 


A  SOCIAL  HIGHWAYMAN 

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